OPINION - USDA SERVICE CENTERS - NEW FACE OF THE FOREST SERVICE?

USDA SERVICE CENTER - REDDING, CA
 

OPINION

By Don Amador

7/23/2026

 

When I recently visited the new USDA Service Center in Redding, California, I found myself reflecting on just how much the U.S. Forest Service has evolved over the past century.

Located in what many longtime Northern California residents still think of as the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Supervisor's Office, the building today serves a much broader purpose. Along with the headquarters for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, it houses the Pacific Southwest Research Station, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Rural Development, and other USDA programs under one roof.

Rather than serving as the headquarters of a single National Forest, these facilities function as integrated USDA campuses where multiple agencies work side by side. The emphasis is less on organizational boundaries and more on delivering a range of services to rural communities, landowners, agricultural producers, conservation partners, researchers, and public land users.

It is a noticeable evolution from an agency structure rooted in the 1930s toward a model that better reflects twenty-first century technology, community engagement, and collaboration.

 

Forest health projects today rarely involve just one agency. Restoring watersheds, reducing hazardous fuels, improving wildlife habitat, supporting grazing operations, and expanding recreation opportunities often require expertise from several USDA agencies working together with state agencies, timber companies, counties, tribes, local governments, conservation organizations, and recreation groups.

 

For recreation organizations, Fire Safe Councils, Resource Conservation Districts, and county governments, having multiple decision-makers available in one location can simplify coordination on projects that benefit both public lands and surrounding communities.

 

For someone seeking information on conservation programs, grazing permits, forest management, recreation opportunities, or wildfire recovery, having several USDA agencies under one roof can eliminate multiple trips across town.

 

Older Forest Service Supervisor's Offices often possessed a distinct personality. Visitors walked into buildings that reflected the history and character of a particular National Forest. Large wall maps, timber displays, historic photographs, Smokey Bear exhibits, and recreation information reminded visitors they were entering the headquarters of a specific forest.

 

As someone who has spent much of my career working alongside Forest Service professionals, I believe one challenge deserves continued attention.

 

Outdoor recreation—including hiking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, camping, and off-highway vehicle recreation—is now one of the largest and fastest-growing uses of our National Forest System. Service Centers should continue evolving to reflect that reality.

 

Imagine visitor lobbies featuring interactive recreation maps, trail condition displays, wildfire recovery information, volunteer opportunities, America the Beautiful pass information, and exhibits celebrating the many ways people enjoy their National Forests.

 

As these Service Centers continue to develop across the country, the opportunity will be to preserve the proud heritage and local identity of our National Forests while embracing a more modern, collaborative way of serving the American public.

 

For those of us in the outdoor recreation community, that's an evolution worth supporting—and helping to shape.

 

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Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy, recreation management, and wildfire recovery profession for 35 years and served as chairman of the CA State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission.