Yesterday, employees joined Chief Moore for an all-employee call to discuss budget and hiring topics.

Following an introduction from Chief of Staff Jaelith Hall-Rivera, the Chief discussed the Forest Service budget and hiring discussions and decisions. He began by acknowledging the tremendous effort put forth by Forest Service employees during this extreme fire year. He also acknowledged the role the Wildfire Crisis Strategy has played in making the Forest Service a more effective force.

From there, he pivoted to discuss upcoming hiring measures aimed at keeping the agency in line with possible budgetary constraints. He reassured employees that, although the agency might operate under a constrained budget in Fiscal Year 2025, our people come first. With that in mind, for the foreseeable future, the Chief announced that all external hiring will stop and the agency will hire internally instead.

"We will not be bringing on any additional seasonal [employees], outside of fire,” he said. “I need to let you know that we have also converted between 1,300 and 1,400 1039 employees to permanent seasonals. And so, we began the process of trying to really honor being an employer of choice by converting a number of our seasonals to permanent."

Chief Moore reassured employees that the goal is not do more with less, reiterating that we will not pass the burden on to our employees. These hard budget and hiring discussions and decisions are necessary for the future of the agency. However, the goal of the agency, the Chief said, was to ensure we continue to pay and take care of all employees currently working for the Forest Service. With that in mind, developmental training is still available and encouraged for employees, with priority being given to online training.

Before transitioning to other leaders, Chief Moore acknowledged that much could still change. However, the agency is currently planning for the most conservative budget estimates in the hopes to have more flexibility if more money becomes available through Congress.

Along with Chief Moore and Chief of Staff Hall-Rivera, employees also heard from Associate Chief Angela Coleman, Budget Director Mark Lichtenstein, Chief Financial Officer Robert Velasco, Business Operations Deputy Chief Mary Pletcher-Rice, Human Resources Management Director Deedra Fogle and Northern Region Regional Forester Leanne Marten. Together, they fielded questions and concerns from employees.

Employee Resources

The Forest Service has a variety of options for those looking for support. Healthy stress management strategies include reaching into our own existing support networks with friends, families and communities. Additionally, employees can utilize resources through our Federal Employee Health Benefits health insurance mental health or wellness programs.

The Forest Service has adopted a hybrid employee assistance program model so there are increased options for getting connected to employer-provided support services. Employees can directly access specific types of helpful behavioral health support or financial and legal services through our vendor partner Acentra® by calling 1-833-621-2989 or visiting the website (internal access only). There is a specific program called TalkNow, which can connect you with a licensed counselor right away. Ask for it by name. This is a great place for healthy venting!

You can also email the new Employee Support and Wellbeing Branch for help finding the right resources.

Leaders looking for support or tools in leading through this time can contact a new program with qualified Forest Service management consultants by emailing SM.FS.employeesupp@usda.gov and requesting a consult.