Government Budget and Staffing Cuts Could Close Facilities in California’s National Forests, Memo Says

In California, summer could be on the chopping block.

Almost 4,000 campsites across many of California’s 18 national forests could close for part or all of the summer season, according to an internal United States Forest Service spreadsheet viewed by The New York Times on Friday. These potential shutdowns follow a wave of federal government firings and budget freezes last month that have led to staffing shortages and stalled contracts for basic services like pumping toilets.

While national forests are sometimes less well-known than national parks, they’re often more accessible, with a wider variety of uses and lower fees to enter and camp. They attract motorcyclists, day hikers, ATV users, horseback riders, boaters and backpackers, as well as ranchers who graze cattle, foresters who log trees and even miners who prospect for gold.

In an internal email from the Forest Service on Feb. 18, forest supervisors for Region 5, which oversees California, were instructed to list public facilities that could close this year as a result of budget cuts and staff shortages. The United States Forest Service did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

The email noted that “unforeseen impacts and changed conditions, as well as financial limitations may render some sites unsafe, or too challenging to open to full capacity in 2025.” It was sent less than a week after at least 2,000 employees were terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk.

With a diminished work force, not only will scientific research at these sites suffer, but visitors will struggle to find clean and accessible facilities. And, a heightened risk of wildfires could put nearby communities at risk.

Almost a dozen current and recently fired staff members in Region 5 who spoke to the Times confirmed that firings and an inability to pay contractors had affected the majority of their forests.