The Trump administration announced this week it will shut down six of eight U.S. Forest Service research facilities in California as part of a major national reorganization that could leave the state underequipped to manage escalating wildfire and drought threats. The closures in Fresno, Chico, Fort Bragg, Mount Shasta, and Anderson and Hat Creek in Shasta County are part of a broader plan announced this week to shutter 57 of the agency’s 77 research facilities across 31 states and move its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City. In California, just two research facilities will remain, in Placerville and Riverside.

Other Forest Service news:

• Santa Barbara News-Press (Calif.): Los Padres Forest Service offices and staffing unchanged following ‘sweeping’ restructuring
• Grist: Forest Service overhaul sows confusion and concern
• The Salt Lake Tribune: Editorial: Why we’ll be watching the U.S. Forest Service’s move to Utah