Dartmouth College undergraduate researcher Farrar Ransom looks up to the still-unfolding leaves of an ash tree in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in North Woodstock, N.H., on May 19, where he and others are studying the distribution of fungi under ash and other hardwoods. The emerald ash borer, an insect native to northeast Asia that is decimating the population of ash in North America, was first found in the forest in 2021.
Dartmouth College undergraduate researcher Farrar Ransom looks up to the still-unfolding leaves of an ash tree in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in North Woodstock, N.H., on May 19, 2023, where he and others are studying the distribution of fungi under ash and other hardwoods. The emerald ash borer, an insect native to northeast Asia that is decimating the population of ash in North America, was first found in the forest in 2021. Credit: valley news photographs — James M. Patterson

Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest will remain open amid a staggering reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service.

The agency announced last month that it would be moving its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah, consolidating its regional offices and closing over 50 of its 77 research facilities, including Bartlett Experimental Forest in the White Mountains. The restructuring prompted concerns over New Hampshire’s other experimental forest, Hubbard Brook, as the agency’s website noted that all its research and development sites were “under evaluation.”

Currently, there are no proposals threatening the forest’s operations or any of its affiliates, the offices of Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said on Monday.

“New Hampshire’s forests are an essential part of our economy, our environment and our way of life,” Ayotte said. “I had a productive conversation with [Agriculture] Secretary Rollins and Senator Shaheen, and I appreciate USDA’s commitment to keeping these important research forests operating.”

Hubbard Brook has been in operation as a major hub for hydrologic research in New England since 1955. There, researchers first documented acid rain in the United States, and scientists have explored the development of ecosystem process models and the impact of forest harvesting on water quality and quantity.

Ayotte said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins committed to reviewing the closure plans at Bartlett Experimental Forest, adding that she and Rollins went over opportunities for further USDA investment at the facility, including improvements to its bunkhouse.

Ayotte and Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, also requested staffing support for the forests, according to a press release.

“I’m relieved that the Administration heard New Hampshire’s calls, and I appreciate Secretary Rollins’ commitment to reexamine the initial proposal that would close facilities at Bartlett,” Shaheen said in a statement. “The lab and other facilities at Bartlett must remain open in New Hampshire to continue the decades-long research projects that serve our entire country while addressing new challenges.”

Emilia Wisniewski is a general assignment reporter that covers Franklin, Warner and Henniker. She is also the engagement editor. She can be reached at ewisniewski@cmonitor.com or (603) 369-3307