Mfume, Van Hollen, Alsobrooks Lead Maryland Delegation Members in Pressing Trump Administration for Answers on Proposed Closure of U.S. Forest Service Baltimore Urban Field Station

Image April 24, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume and U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks were joined by Representatives Steny Hoyer, Jamie Raskin, Glenn Ivey, Sarah Elfreth, April McClain Delaney, and Johnny Olszewski (all D-MD) in pressing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden and United States Forest Service (USFS) Chief Tom Schultz on the justification for and expected impact of the Administration’s proposed closure of the USFS Baltimore Urban Field Station. This local USFS office leads forestry-related projects that benefit the local Baltimore community and conducts important forestry and urban ecology research that informs land use decision-making throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and beyond. The USFS Baltimore Urban Field Station is also a key partner in the Chesapeake Bay Program. In their letter, the lawmakers stressed that shuttering this longstanding field station will abruptly end decades of carefully cultivated partnerships and result in the loss of region-specific expertise that cannot be replicated elsewhere – assets that underpin vital initiatives for the health of our environment and economy in Maryland and across the country. The lawmakers asked for answers to a series of questions on the proposed closure, including whether a cost-benefit analysis was conducted, plans for continuing the field station’s work, and the expected impact on USFS employees. “We are writing to express serious concerns about the proposed closure of the United States Forest Service (USFS) Baltimore Urban Field Station. This field station is essential to maintaining the important USFS work that has been taking place in Baltimore for nearly 30 years – work that benefits communities and forests in Maryland and across the entire country. Closing the Baltimore Urban Field Station is unnecessary and misguided; it will stymie highly effective and productive forestry and urban ecology work that Congress has directed the Forest Service to pursue,” the lawmakers began. “The USFS Baltimore Urban Field Station has operated from the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County since 1998, which has allowed the field station to develop important academic and Baltimore-area community partnerships. This longstanding Baltimore location has enabled the place-based relationships and collaborations that underpin the impactful, high-quality work that this field station has produced,” they continued. The USFS Baltimore Field Station’s proven record of successful research, partnerships, and projects demonstrates its incredible value to the American people. Agency and program office relocations invariably result in the loss of talented staff, institutional knowledge, and partnerships, undermining the agency’s mission, performance, and effectiveness; this is exactly what happened when the Trump administration relocated the Bureau of Land Management, the Economic Research Service, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in 2019,” the lawmakers wrote, going on to list numerous examples of the work that the USFS Baltimore Urban Field Station does to inform Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, provide workforce development opportunities, and more. “For nearly 30 years, the USFS Baltimore Urban Field Station has generated exceptional applied research with an impact reaching far beyond Baltimore city limits. The USFS Baltimore Urban Field Station has shown itself to be an incredible asset to the community, region, and to the nation. It should not be closed,” they concluded. Text of the letter, including the questions posed to Deputy Secretary Vaden and Chief Schultz, can be viewed here . ###