An estimated 37 workers with the U.S. Forest Service in Michigan were laid off this past week, following a Trump administration order.
Roughly 3,400 federal employees or about 10% of the USFS workforce were affected by the layoffs across the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal forests, states it has “released” individuals in their probationary period.
Two union leaders in Michigan confirmed with WCMU that at least 15 people from Huron-Manistee, 14 from Hiawatha and eight from the Ottawa national forests were affected by the layoffs. The majority of impacted workers were in their second year of probationary employment, and that includes workers hired through a veterans recruitment program.
The layoffs exempt wildland firefighters, but local union representative Rick Davis said losing his coworkers still hurts firefighting efforts since many are certified to fight fires and participate in controlled burns.
Davis is the president of the local chapter of the National Federation of Federal Employees at Huron-Manistee and Hiawatha. He said the decision also jeopardizes the ability to manage Michigan’s three million acres of federal forest land — ranging from trail maintenance to fighting invasive species like forest insects that cost the U.S. $4 billion annually.
“We didn’t have enough people to do the work, and we just remedied that with a round of hiring,” Davis said. “And now we’re seemingly going backwards.”
‘Feeling very loved’
Hannah Zigman, originally from Reed City, was hired last May as a permanent seasonal fisheries technician at the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho. She said she was excited to have a more stable position with year-round federal health insurance after years of jumping between gigs.
“They called me on Friday, Valentine’s Day (to fire me),” Zigman said, adding with irony, “So feeling very loved.”
Since Zigman works as a server in the off-season, she said she won’t qualify for unemployment. Now, she is searching for a new job, but said she’s competing with more applicants for a shrinking pool of positions.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Zigman said. “... It's already a very intensely competitive field, and now you just added thousands of federal employees into the mix.”
USFS employees in Michigan confirmed that termination notices from Huron-Manistee, Hiawatha and Ottawa national forests all reference “performance” as grounds for dismissal, even for employees with recent “stellar” performance reviews.
“The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest,” the notice reads, attributed to Deedra Fogle, USFS Human Resources director.
The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency makes a distinction between firings on the grounds of “inability to do the job” and “misconduct,” with the latter disqualifying workers from benefits.
Probationary employees do not qualify for a severance package, according to union leaders.
WCMU reached out to all three national forests in Michigan for comment and official layoff numbers but was redirected to the federal press office.
In a written statement, newly-appointed USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the terminations are part of President Donald Trump’s directive to “optimize government operations” and “eliminate inefficiencies.”
“We are confident that talented individuals who have been affected by this change will have many opportunities to contribute to our economy and society in countless ways outside of government,” the statement said.
Federal worker layoffs continue
About 5-6% of total government spending goes toward federal worker salaries. So far, at least 11,060 probationary employees across the country have been affected by federal worker cuts.
Between 12 and 15 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees who work on invasive sea lamprey control were fired, according to Greg McClinchey from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. McClinchey said an additional 20-30 seasonal workers will not be hired for the 2025 season.
Roughly 100 were fired from the Environmental Protection Agency in Region 5, which serves states in the upper Midwest. The National Park Service has also terminated more than 1,000 workers across the country. It is still unclear how many people are affected in Michigan.
The union representing USFS workers — along with four other federal worker unions — has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and its "attempts to dismantle government."
