National Forest Service (NFS) Chief Tom Schultz on Thursday will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee about the agency’s fiscal 2026 budget request.
The request, unveiled in May, includes steep cuts to the NFS workforce while prioritizing “forest management, including timber sales, hazardous fuels removal, mineral extraction, grazing, and wildlife habitat management.” It also consolidates fire mitigation efforts across several departments.
The hearing comes less than a month after the Trump administration announced it would strip what it calls “overly restrictive” protections that prevented logging on nearly 59 million acres of land within the National Forest System.
Schultz is a former lumber executive who was tapped by President Trump to lead the agency after the previous chief stepped down in February.
The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EDT.
Watch the live video above.
