The federal government announced this week it is moving the headquarters for the U.S. Forest Service from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City.

As part of the move, the Forest Service says it will also close or repurpose all nine of its regional offices, create 15 state offices, and shutter research and development facilities in more than 30 states, including a site in Ely on the edge of the Boundary Waters.

“This is about building a Forest Service that is nimble, efficient, effective and closer to the forests and communities it serves,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz.

The specifics on what “research and development facility” in Ely will be closing remains in question. There’s speculation it could be a water lab located in the Kawishiwi Ranger Station, or an air-quality facility studying mercury from power plants near Lake Superior and other areas near the Boundary Waters.

Closure list courtesy of USDA

A request for information on the facility in Ely that is closing was sent April 2 by Paddle and Portage media to officials on Superior National Forest. The request resulted in a canned response that reads: “Tuesday’s announcement includes no changes for forest or district offices or their staffing. The Superior National Forest is committed to ensuring that all operations — including wildfire readiness and response — continue without interruption. The Forest Service’s fire readiness and response remain unchanged, and our operational firefighters and aviation resources continue to support wildfire response.”

This same response came to all of Paddle and Portage media’s questions relevant to the closure of a research facility in Ely and the relocation of the Forest Service headquarters to Salt Lake City.

Paddle and Portage also reached out to the national press desk for the Forest Service to inquire about what research and development facility in Ely will be closing. The Forest Service national office did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

In terms of what the relocation of the Forest Service headquarters means for the Boundary Waters and Superior National Forest, local officials were scant on details. For example, Paddle & Portage media asked “Does the announcement about the Forest Service headquarters moving to Utah impact or change anything for the way Superior National Forest is managed? If yes, how so?”

The Forest Service responded with the canned statement shared above, noting that “Superior National Forest is committed to ensuring that all operations continue without interruption.”

Superior National Forest sign. P&P file photo

Meanwhile, as part of the relocation of the Forest Service headquarters, some states will have their own offices and others will be lumped together, similar to the organization of the Bureau of Land Management. Minnesota, for example, will be in the “Great Lakes/Midwest State Office,” which also includes Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The headquarters for this office will be in Madison, Wisc. This will be a new approach for the country’s 154 national forests, which have long been managed by the nine regional offices that will be shuttered or repurposed. Superior National Forest, which includes the entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, was previously managed by a regional office in Milwaukee.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden praised the decision this week to relocate the Forest Service headquarters. The Forest Service is under the umbrella of the USDA.

“Relocating and realigning allows the agency to protect our land and most precious resources,” he said. “Having recently visited Salt Lake City, I am impressed by the modernized facilities, reasonable cost of living, proximity to an international airport, and more family-focused way of life. This relocation is long overdue, and I am grateful to President Trump for having the courage to do what is right by the American people.”

As part of the announcement of the move to Utah and state offices taking over the Forest Service, a research and development facility will be stationed in St. Paul, while the aforementioned facility in Ely and another in Grand Rapids, Minn., will be closing, according to the federal agency.

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