Expect USFS Land Conditions to Worsen

[bigtex]

Just announced, nationwide hiring freeze for temporary (seasonal workers) takes effect Oct 1. Only exception are USFS fire positions or positions funded by another agency. So all those summer campground, road, and trail maintenance positions will not be filled for next summer.

On the USFS law enforcement front there's been a mass exodus due to a change in policy affecting their pay. About a third of USFS LEOs in WA, CA and other states have left in the past 6 months. In WA most of these LEOs are deputized by the county sheriff and handle typical LE calls on behalf of the Sheriff. Them being gone now puts a bigger strain on the Sheriff's offices.

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[Ghost Hunter]

Appears there is more than one way to defund the police.  Keep shifting funds....

[baldopepper]

Can't think that's a good thing.  Campgrounds have been seeing unprecedented usage the last couple of years with no let up in sight.  Hard to think.how they'll look next summer with no seasonal help.
 Additionally many of those seasonal jobs were filled by area locals who were dependent on that income. Sad to.hear


 

[addicted1]

It’s not just a hiring freeze, it is a layoff. All non-fire temporary seasonal employees will be laid off Sep. 30 and not hired again next year. These make up a majority of the boot on the ground.

[Russ McDonald]

Can't think that's a good thing.  Campgrounds have been seeing unprecedented usage the last couple of years with no let up in sight.  Hard to think.how they'll look next summer with no seasonal help.
 Additionally many of those seasonal jobs were filled by area locals who were dependent on that income. Sad to.hear


 

Actually, that is not the case most are filled with college kids from all over the country including local.

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[Naches Sportsman]

It’s going to be tough filling fire crews out even. Will have to tell college students that sorry can’t hire you for a fire job as we can only hire an “x” amount based on the staffing requirements of a crew or module. I Only get 10 pay periods for a temporary fire crew employee (20 weeks) next summer and pretty much 3 of those pay periods will be eaten up by useless mandated training.

“Do more with less” is what all of us do currently. Jack of all trades.

Hopefully a budget is passed and not another CR. Forest Service is really shooting themselves in the foot trying to make every non fire job a permanent seasonal. Good luck getting a hippie wanting to do trails work to stick around for 6 months a year.

[Russ McDonald]

It’s going to be tough filling fire crews out even. Will have to tell college students that sorry can’t hire you for a fire job as we can only hire an “x” amount based on the staffing requirements of a crew or module. I Only get 10 pay periods for a temporary fire crew employee (20 weeks) next summer and pretty much 3 of those pay periods will be eaten up by useless mandated training.

“Do more with less” is what all of us do currently. Jack of all trades.

Hopefully a budget is passed and not another CR. Forest Service is really shooting themselves in the foot trying to make every non fire job a permanent seasonal. Good luck getting a hippie wanting to do trails work to stick around for 6 months a year.

Yes that was the biggest reason for all of this was they made quite a few seasonal positions PSE's (part time seasonal).  Example there is 26 pay periods on the year.  Some PSE's are 18 and 8's meaning 18 PPs on 8 off some other 13 and 13.  In 14 years I have worked for the government they have not passed a budget on time this year won't be no different.  It will be a CR and won't be no less the 3 months.  I saw some seasonal in a district meeting yesterday on the verge of tears.  It was very sad.

[bigtex]

Appears there is more than one way to defund the police.  Keep shifting funds....

On the LE staffing standpoint. I'm actually going to defend/agree with the USFS on this one. The agency had been incorrectly interpreting federal LE pay overtime policies for a couple decades. When confronted of this issue the agency aligned with federal law which meant a reduction in pay for the LEOs, which caused many to leave the agency.

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[NOCK NOCK]

IMHO.......The forest circus is already on its last leg, and will die soon. They have been doing a HORRIBLE job at anything they do for the last 2 decades.  I did a crap ton of research on ATV use in the forest years ago, every FS employee would tell you the same thing, ATV'S were illegal in the forest. That was a complete lie! There was no such CFR to back up their claims. Nowadays all they basically do is fire, and we all see how that has worked out, millions of acres decimated, and billions of dollars spent doing/perpetuating said burns. 

I don't know what the answer is, but public forest management needs a change in leadership/mentality, maybe as an elected agency. 

[Naches Sportsman]

It’s going to be tough filling fire crews out even. Will have to tell college students that sorry can’t hire you for a fire job as we can only hire an “x” amount based on the staffing requirements of a crew or module. I Only get 10 pay periods for a temporary fire crew employee (20 weeks) next summer and pretty much 3 of those pay periods will be eaten up by useless mandated training.

“Do more with less” is what all of us do currently. Jack of all trades.

Hopefully a budget is passed and not another CR. Forest Service is really shooting themselves in the foot trying to make every non fire job a permanent seasonal. Good luck getting a hippie wanting to do trails work to stick around for 6 months a year.

Yes that was the biggest reason for all of this was they made quite a few seasonal positions PSE's (part time seasonal).  Example there is 26 pay periods on the year.  Some PSE's are 18 and 8's meaning 18 PPs on 8 off some other 13 and 13.  In 14 years I have worked for the government they have not passed a budget on time this year won't be no different.  It will be a CR and won't be no less the 3 months.  I saw some seasonal in a district meeting yesterday on the verge of tears.  It was very sad.

I’m a president of a Local in R1 these days and seeing the same thing from the people who care about having the ground pounders on the ground, MTDC is going to feel the pain next year.

[timberfaller]

The USFS is just a shell of it former self!  They've been going down hill since the 70's.  As the people with experience(not all college degree-ed up) started to retire, newcomers relied on their "degree's" more then reality.  As each decade passed, the worse it got. IT has not improved one little bit.  Environmentalist run the show and its is completely backwards(poor management practices) and this was all brought to you by activists Lawyers!  Aka: Sierra Club/Earth First/College Profs!

Good luck getting it reversed.  Barred Owl anyone??  If you've been following this new fiasco!!