President Trump’s federal hiring freeze, along with the dramatic cuts to the federal workforce advanced by Elon Musk, create a serious risk to Sierra Nevada communities and landscapes in their effort to mitigate the impacts of wildfire. These actions also pose a risk to Sierra economies that depend upon the use of public lands to drive economic activity in our region. 

The federal hiring freeze and workforce cuts come at the same time that federal land managers at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) are hiring seasonal firefighters and support crews. The BLM and USFS play a critical role in wildfire response in our communities, and their leadership is critical to successful multi-agency wildfire suppression efforts in partnership with state and local firefighters.

On February 13, the USFS began firing more than 3400 employees – roughly 10% of their workforce. Although “public safety personnel” are theoretically exempt from the federal hiring freeze, specificity about exemptions has not trickled down to the local level. As managers scramble to understand the order and which employees are exempt and which are not, all hiring has stopped and many long-term civil servants have already been fired. Seasonal firefighters, many of whom return to the BLM and USFS year after year, are left in limbo and are moving on to other opportunities. Years of experience, institutional knowledge, and community relationship-building have been thrown out the window.

The hiring freeze and firings will put critical USFS activities at risk, such as processing forest thinning permits, avalanche forecasting for the Sierra Avalanche Center, and research necessary to protect Sierra communities. The hiring freeze affects USFS wildfire mitigation crews who are doing important work to reduce hazardous fuels, build firebreaks, and create defensible space around communities. It also halts the hiring of trail crews, recreation technicians, OHV technicians, and campground staff – all necessary to keep trails and campgrounds open for the public. 

The measures apply to the National Park Service, whose managers are just beginning to recruit the seasonal employees necessary to keep Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Lassen National Parks open and operating. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration’s order to freeze hiring has stopped interviews and background checks for prospective federal workers. The move has canceled thousands of seasonal park jobs. These are the people who staff the gates, run interpretive programs, maintain trails and recreation sites, pick up the trash, provide security, and oversee concessions. Without these employees, many National Parks will curtail operations or may even be forced to close. Yosemite has already delayed issuing campground permits for the summer season. 

Sierra communities depend upon access to federally managed public lands for a substantial portion of our economic activity. Many small businesses will be hurt by a season of reduced revenue, and some may never recover. They need public lands to operate to thrive.  

It is critically important that the Trump administration reverse the hiring freeze and staffing cuts for the BLM, USFS, and National Park Service in order to secure the safety and prosperity of Sierra communities.