U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz testified before a House hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday regarding wildfires and agency reorganization.

The testimony comes as the fire season intensifies, placing the agency's management of public lands and its internal structural changes under legislative scrutiny.

Schultz appeared before lawmakers to answer questions about the agency's response to ongoing wildfires. The hearing focused on how the Forest Service is managing active blazes and whether current strategies are sufficient to protect public lands during the peak of the season.

Central to the discussion was the agency's current reorganization, described as the largest of its kind in a century. This restructuring aims to change how the Forest Service operates at the regional and state levels to better coordinate disaster responses.

As part of this reorganization, the agency created 15 new state director jobs [1]. These positions are intended to streamline the chain of command, and improve local oversight of forest management and fire suppression efforts.

Schultz provided details on the recruitment process for these critical roles. He said the agency has received roughly 300 applications [1] for the new state director positions.

The hearing occurred as lawmakers sought clarity on whether the administrative shift is happening quickly enough to impact current fire operations. The reorganization represents a significant pivot in how the federal government handles land management across the U.S.

“The agency created 15 new state director jobs.”

The intersection of a massive organizational overhaul and an intensifying fire season creates a high-risk period for the U.S. Forest Service. By shifting toward a state-director model, the agency is betting that localized leadership will reduce bureaucratic delays during emergencies, though the success of this transition depends on the quality of the hundreds of applicants currently being vetted for those roles.