(BIVN) – The planned closure of the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry in Hilo was the subject of tense discussion during a Senate committee hearing in Washington last week.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing was held on May 13th (Examine the President’s Budget Request for the United States Forest Service for Fiscal Year 2027). During the meeting, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D, Hawaiʻi) questioned U.S Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on the Trump administration’s reported plan to close the majority of the U.S. Forest Service research facilities, including the facility located on Nowelo Street in Hilo.
“You told me during the hearing that you fight for the Forest Service every day,” Senator Hirono wrote in a letter to Schultz a few days after the hearing. “Your actions tell a very different story. Your dismissive attitude towards Congress, the law, and the impact that closing IPIF would have on our Forest Service employees and forests throughout the Pacific region is unacceptable.”
In the May 15th letter to Schultz, Senator Hirono wrote:
Additionally, during our exchange on the Forest Service’s evaluation to close the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry (IPIF), I asked you to provide details on the $17 million deferred maintenance needs that your Associate Chief, Chris French, had quoted to my staff six weeks ago. My staff received information late yesterday afternoon clarifying that Mr. French had the wrong information and the $17 million figure was the replacement cost for IPIF, not the deferred maintenance cost. In other words, it would cost the Forest Service $17 million to purchase a similar facility, which would be a valid argument for keeping IPIF open.
During Mr. French’s briefing with my staff, he reiterated that evaluating IPIF for closure was strictly a business decision. Based on the information that the Forest Service has provided me and my staff to date, the costs incurred by IPIF are as follows:
• A $1 lease that ends on April 30, 2067.
• Annual utility costs of approximately $170,000.
• Deferred maintenance totaling $2.85 million.When confirming these expenses with your staff, we were told that these costs “will be factored in among other factors as a decision is being made.” This is concerning, as Mr. French explicitly stated that whether to close IPIF would be strictly a business decision. It now seems like the decision will be political, if not solely based on facility costs. As such, please provide a list of factors, other than these costs, that will inform the decision on whether to close IPIF.
You told me during the hearing that you fight for the Forest Service every day. Your actions tell a very different story. Your dismissive attitude towards Congress, the law, and the impact that closing IPIF would have on our Forest Service employees and forests throughout the Pacific region is unacceptable. So that I understand your decisions, provide me the National Forest Study Report and complete analysis on IPIF immediately.
Senator Hirono also asked for the Hawaiʻi National Forest Study report. According to the office of Senator Hirono:
In December 2022, Congress passed legislation requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a study determining the feasibility and suitability of establishing a National Forest System in Hawaii. Instead of the results of this three-year study, on May 8—five days before the ENR Forest Budget hearing—Members of Congress received a letter from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins with the recommendation stating: “the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not recommend establishing a unit of the National Forest System in the study area. The Trump Administration recognizes that those closest to lands and the people who use them – State and local governments that understand and respect the needs and desires of their communities – are in the best position to manage lands to meet those needs.” The letter to Congress failed to provide data from the eight separate areas the Hawaii National Forestry Study was legally required to measure, nor did it include any details or findings supporting its conclusion. Despite Chief Schultz committing to providing this report, Senator Hirono has still not received it.
During the Senate committee hearing, Chief Schultz said he had information to show the Senator, and would provide the details after the meeting. Following the meeting, Senator Hirono wrote that she still does not have a copy of the requested National Forest Study Report and complete analysis on IPIF.
