Vasquez Calls for Solutions to Address Forest Service Staffing Shortage

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, January 10, 2024, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.-02) called on Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja to work alongside him to find solutions to the staffing shortages faced by the United States Forest Service (USFS) to prevent devastating wildfires. 

“In my meetings with USFS management, I have heard repeatedly about the agency's problems in hiring and retaining enough employees to adequately staff our national forests,” said Vasquez. “An understaffed Forest Service is a risk New Mexico cannot afford to take while we are still recovering from the 2022 wildfire season, which included some of the most devastating wildfires in New Mexico’s history.”

Vasquez requested answers to the following questions:

• What are the policies that require USFS to conduct background checks for applicants who already possess a clearance or have completed a background check?
• What steps is the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) taking to address staffing shortages at the Forest Service?
• What are the statutory barriers to hiring qualified applicants to the Forest Service more quickly?

The Gila National Forest, like many national forests, is short several positions that are needed to prevent and mitigate wildfires as well as sustain the health, diversity and productivity of national forests and grasslands. A primary barrier to filling positions at USFS is the heavily bureaucratic, prolonged hiring process.

New Mexico’s second congressional district is home to four of the state’s five national forests, including the Gila, which contains multiple high-risk areas. The Gila National Forest is still recovering from the Black Fire, one of the largest wildfires in New Mexico’s history which burned over 300,000 acres in 2022. 

Vasquez is hoping to find ways to streamline the hiring processes to keep New Mexico’s communities safe.

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Full text of the letter below:

Dear Director Ahuja,

 I write to you today to find solutions to the staffing issues faced by the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the impacts those staffing shortages are having on my district. It is vital that the agency tasked with managing our National Forest System is adequately equipped to be proper stewards of our public lands, be responsive to ranchers and combat future wildfires. 

In my meetings with USFS management personnel, I have heard repeatedly about the difficulties the agency has hiring and retaining enough employees – from archeologists to administrators to forestry technicians. This shortage is detrimental not only to mitigating and preventing devastating wildfires, but also to the Forest Service’s mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of our nation’s forests and grasslands.

 New Mexico’s second congressional district is home to four of the state’s five national forests, including the Gila National Forest which contains multiple of the high-risk “firesheds” identified in the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy1 . The Gila National Forest is still recovering from the Black Fire, one of the largest wildfires in New Mexico’s history which burned over 300,000 acres in 2022. The Gila National Forest needs more staff to prevent a disaster like this from occurring again but is currently nearly 50 positions shy of their target amount. 

One of the primary barriers to filling such positions is the lengthy hiring process new USFS employees must undertake, including instances where applicants that already possess a security clearance or have already undergone a federal background check must still wait for another background check that can take up to six months. This duplicative process deters strong applicants, who must wait half a year to determine their employment, and impacts the Forest Service, which must allocate time and resources to these checks from already understaffed offices. 

I understand that there are procedures and protocols in place to ensure the necessary requirements for federal service are satisfied. However, I believe we must have reasonable  processes in place to make hiring easier and help the Forest Service carry out their objectives and be responsible to constituents. Therefore, I request answers to the following questions:

 • What are the policies that require USFS to conduct background checks for applicants that already possess a clearance or have completed a background check?

 • What steps is the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) taking to address staffing shortages at the Forest Service? 

• What are the statutory barriers to more quickly hiring qualified applicants to the Forest Service?

 I look forward to working with you to find solutions to these staffing shortages and streamline the hiring process at the Forest Service. Thank you for your service and leadership at the Office of Personnel Management and attention to this important matter. 

Sincerely, 

Gabe Vasquez 

Member of Congress

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