At Senate Hearing, Shaheen Presses USDA Secretary Rollins on Plans for Bartlett Experimental Forests, Secures New Commitments

(Washington, D.C.) – At a U.S Senate Appropriations Committee hearing this week, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Subcommittee , pressed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to commit to both restoring staffing levels at Bartlett Experimental Forest and to make sure the facilities at Bartlett remain open. In response to Shaheen’s questioning, Secretary Rollins committed to providing Shaheen with an answer and acknowledged their consistent communication regarding Bartlett. Click HERE to watch Senator Shaheen’s questioning. Key quotes from Senator Shaheen: “Secretary Rollins, the timber industry has also been hard hit, as you know, by trade wars, by drought, by wildfires, by other natural disasters that are increasingly common. In New Hampshire, which is the second-most heavily forested state in the nation, one of the things that we really need, as you know, because we've had this conversation, is a research program and forest service staffing on the ground in a variety of ways, but particularly at Bartlett Experimental Forest.” “These small investments in research and staffing and sound management help make the forest economies healthier and more competitive…Can you commit to restoring staffing at Bartlett and keeping the facilities there open, now that you’ve seen the critical nature of that research?” The Bartlett Experimental Forest is a nationally recognized research site that contributes to forest management, environmental science and economic activity in New Hampshire and across the region. As the second-most forested state in the country, New Hampshire’s timber industry is critical to the health of local economies across the state. Senator Shaheen’s questioning comes as the industry faces continued headwinds, including President Trump’s trade wars and natural disasters such as drought and wildfires. Senator Shaheen is a champion of New England’s experimental forests. In the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding bills that were signed into law, Shaheen helped increase funding for Forest and Rangeland Research by $8.5 million, and she secured language recognizing the importance of experimental forests like Bartlett and encouraging the Forest Service to restore staffing expeditiously. Shaheen also helped boost funding for state and private forestry. Earlier this year, following conversations with Secretary Rollins and New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte, Shaheen secured confirmation that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) would not close New Hampshire’s Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and a commitment from Secretary Rollins to review plans at Bartlett Experimental Forest. Shaheen, Ayotte and Rollins also agreed to further conversations regarding New Hampshire’s critical experimental forest facilities. This victory was achieved following Shaheen’s push back against USFS reorganization in April. Senators Shaheen and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) also sent a letter to USDA expressing concern about the reorganization of the Forest Service following a roundtable they led in Bretton Woods with local conservation advocates and forest leaders. ###