As 2025 draws to a close, I wish you and yours a joyful holiday season. I hope you find time to reset, relax and spend time with loved ones. I also hope you will take time to celebrate our many accomplishments and work with partners, communities and tribal nations.  

Above all, I want to recognize our shared commitment to safety. This year, we reduced employee injuries to their lowest level in five years, a 14% improvement over Fiscal Year 2024. That milestone reflects our culture of care that goes beyond avoiding injuries and accidents, and it stands as one of our proudest achievements. 

This year, we returned to our roots as an organization with a multi-use mission, refocusing our efforts on the fundamental work that delivers the greatest good to the American people. We answered the call to be more efficient, fiscally responsible and steadfast in providing maximum value for every taxpayer dollar.  

Together, we strengthened America’s timber supply and forestry industry, exceeding our targets by selling 2.94 billion board feet and offering 3.1 billion board feet. We reduced wildfire risk and protected communities, treating 3.25 million acres of hazardous fuels and holding wildfire acres burned to nearly half the 10-year average. We unleashed American energy and secured access to critical minerals, generating billions for public services by producing commodities from National Forest System lands valued at over $4.8 billion, including $533 million to the U.S. Treasury. We enhanced public access to outdoor recreation for hundreds of millions of forest visitors. And we delivered the highest level of post-fire restoration in 25 years, reforesting 285,000 acres and improving timber stands on 150,000 acres to stabilize soils, replant trees and safeguard clean water, wildlife habitat and wood products for future generations. 

We also advanced our forest inventory and analysis work, measuring 14,584 forested plots and providing that data to public and private forest managers to help address local and regional issues related to trends in assessing the extent and condition of forest resources in the U.S.  

Throughout the year, we came together in the wake of devastation, supporting our colleagues and others who lost homes during the hurricane season. We restored vital transportation and recreation corridors, reopening more than 350 miles of trails and roads in North Carolina and Texas. We even supported I-40 reconstruction with materials from the Pisgah National Forest.  

In every effort, we prioritized the needs of all Americans and worked to ensure that our National Forest System remains a foundation for prosperity and resilience. Altogether, the USDA Forest Service generated more than $1.1 billion from program activities on national forests and grasslands. We use these funds to support mission delivery, reinvest in states and counties, while directing hundreds of millions back to the U.S. Treasury – reinforcing the nation’s fiscal strength and supporting communities across America, a commitment we will continue to build on in the years ahead.

As we look ahead to 2026, I know you will continue showing up at your best, building relationships and delivering results. Thank you for all you do on behalf of this agency and the American public.  

Merry Christmas and happy holidays,

Chief Tom Schultz  

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