U.S. Forest Service employees work on projects that have impacts far beyond remote, rural wilderness areas.

In an opinion piece in Greater Greater Washington, Lorenzo Cinalli and Kesha Braunskill, two former U.S. Forest Service employees, argue that the mass firing of USFS workers impacts all Americans, including those in urban areas. “Forest Service staffers work on innovative and applied research such as developing climate adaptation actions for use in local decision-making, like Climate Ready DC.”
The deep cuts to the Forest Service aren’t just a blow to the people who lost their paychecks—they’re a blow to the environmental resilience, economic stability, and overall quality of life of DC and urban communities across the country.
According to the authors, the Forest Service works on everything from fire prevention to urban forestry. “Nationwide, trees provide $104 billion dollars in benefits to residents from improved air quality, energy savings, and property values, with nearly $1 billion of those benefits in the DC alone. Trees provide flood mitigation, mental health benefits, critical habitat needed by our food systems, and far too many other benefits to list.”
Workforce reductions will likely reduce the resources allocated to tree planting initiatives (some grants were already revoked), harming urban tree canopies for decades to come, since “Urban trees planted today take years of care and maintenance to become mature canopy trees that provide shade, clean our air, and become valued parts of the community.”
FULL STORY: Forest Service layoffs could mean less resilient cities

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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