SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST – Employees of the U.S. Forest Service who work in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness continue to face an uncertain future in terms of employment after a federal judge Wednesday declined to block the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program for federal employees.

The offer, commonly referred to as “Fork in the Road,” has now expired. Paddle and Portage initially reported on the situation last month with regard to Superior National Forest.

“If you choose not to continue in your current role in the federal workforce, we thank you for your service to your country and you will be provided with a dignified, fair departure from the federal government utilizing a deferred resignation program. This program began effective January 28 and is now closed,” an updated memo from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management reads.

Most federal employees, including many who work for the Forest Service on Superior National Forest, received an email Feb. 12 after U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole declined to block the program. The email, among other things, informed federal employees that any resignations received after 6:20 p.m. Central Standard Time would not be accepted.

More than 65,000 federal employees, roughly 3% of the federal workforce, had agreed to resign as of Tuesday morning, according to reports from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. There is no official number for how many of those are employed by the U.S. Forest Service.

In a letter sent Jan. 28, the Trump administration first announced it was offering buyouts to many federal workers while noting that it would start holding federal employees to “enhanced standards of suitability and conduct” amid possible downsizing of various agencies.

The letter, which was drafted by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, said federal employees could decide if they would like to resign, or potentially risk being eliminated from the federal government workforce. The offer “is available to all full-time federal employees except for military personnel of the armed forces, employees of the U.S. Postal Service, those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and those in any other positions specifically excluded” by their employing agency.

“If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce,” the memo reads. “At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions.”

The news of possible widespread layoffs on Superior National Forest comes on the heels of a troubling report from late last year when it became apparent that the agency would be short-staffed heading into the busy summer season. This summer, the federal agency will hire limited numbers of seasonal staff, most of them people to fight fires, but temporary summer hires for all other roles — like maintaining portages, digging latrines, issuing permits, and upkeep at campsites in the BWCA Wilderness — will be on hold.

The financial woes are not unique to Superior National Forest. As we reported last fall, this is a nationwide issue for the Forest Service, according to Tom Hall, the forest supervisor for Superior National Forest, which includes the entire BWCA Wilderness.

Meanwhile, the Fork in the Road missive sent late last month by the federal government echoes a message sent in 2022 by Elon Musk shortly after he purchased what was then known as Twitter (now X). In the email, which came from Musk, he told thousands of employees at Twitter they could accept a severance package or risk being fired. The email’s subject line was, “A Fork in the Road.”

Paddle and Portage will continue to follow this story and what it means for employees on Superior National Forest and communities near the Boundary Waters.

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