Shaheen, Hassan Host Roundtable Discussion on Trump Administration’s Decision to Reorganize the U.S. Forest Service, Close Facilities at Bartlett Experimental Forest

(Bretton Woods, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH),a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee andRanking Member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies (Ag-FDA) Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) visited AMC’s Highland Center to lead a roundtable with conservation advocates and forest industry leaders to discuss the Trump Administration’s harmful decision toreorganize the U.S. Forest Serviceand shutter research facilities at New Hampshire’s Bartlett Experimental Forest and “further evaluate” facilities at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Bartlett Experimental Forest has hosted nearly 100 years of research that benefits forest health, timber production, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation.Photos from today’s event can befound HERE.
“Critical research at Bartlett Experimental Forest has informed management of northern hardwood forests in New England for nearly a century. The decision by the Trump Administration to close research facilities at Bartlett, undermines long-running research that serves communities across the region and bolsters local economies,”said Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “I thank everyone who joined us today to provide further insight on how the Department of Agriculture’s reorganization will impact forest health and Granite Staters that rely on the timber, recreation and the clean air and water these forests provide.”
“For nearly 100 years, the research conducted within experimental forests in the White Mountains has yielded insights that has bolstered conservation and key Granite State industries such as timber, agriculture, and outdoor recreation. President Trump’s plan to restructure the Forest Service and shutter some of this research threatens not just New Hampshire’s public lands but also the businesses that help power our state’s economy,”said Senator Maggie Hassan.“It’s yet another example of the President’s disregard for research programs that spur innovation and economic growth, and more proof that he’s not focused on the issues that Granite Staters care about.”
Senator Shaheen has championed support for New England’s experimental forests andpushed backagainst these reorganization efforts earlier this month. In theFiscal Year 2026 government funding billsthat were signed into law, Shaheen helped boost funding for state and private forestry, as well as forest research. Shaheen helped secure $308.5 million for the Forest Service’s Forest and Rangeland Research account, including language directing the U.S. Forest Service to use a portion of that funding to prioritize staffing at longstanding experimental forests like Bartlett and Hubbard Brook in New Hampshire.
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