Justin Schatz is a self-described lifelong fisherman and avid outdoorsman.
In fact, Schatz鈥� passion for the outdoors has led him to make big changes in life 鈥� drawing him to the nation鈥檚 area to lead a U.S. Forest Service trail crew.
鈥淚 actually wanted to go down to the Gila to help out with the ,鈥� Schatz said. 鈥淲e just want to save our forests, and allow people to access these lands.鈥�
While the work was often grueling and notoriously underpaid, he absolutely loved it.
鈥淲e would camp in the wilderness for eight days,鈥� Schatz said. 鈥淎nd during those eight days, we would hopefully cover about 60 to 80 miles. Then we would cut thousands of trees every season.鈥�
An agency that manages , the U.S. Forest Service nationwide to maintain forest trails and thin woodlands throughout the national forest ecosystem 鈥� playing a key role in wildland fire prevention in the months before peak fire season.
Schatz was preparing for the upcoming fire season when he received an email from the on February 18th stating he and seven other field crew members had 鈥減oor performance鈥� and, because of this, they were fired from their jobs.
He called the allegations a 鈥渂latant lie,鈥� saying they regularly receive overwhelming positive feedback from forest supervisors.
These, among other layoffs and slashed budgets, are a direct result of the Trump administration鈥檚 unprecedented effort to severely downsize the federal government.
Since then, that Schatz and approximately be reinstated. Though, he stressed that it doesn鈥檛 guarantee workers get their jobs back permanently.
The Trump administration , signaling a desire to continue workforce reductions.
Schatz鈥� first day back on the job was on Monday and has been receiving back pay. He told 91暗网 permanent employees have until Saturday to make a decision to return.
While these orders were supposed to exempt operational firefighters, many of those laid off , serving as a safety net to fill gaps on the fire line.
Benjamin Sears, a forestry technician in the Sandia Ranger District, was training to get his qualifications 鈥� known as a 鈥渞ed card鈥� 鈥� before he got fired.
鈥淭here isn't really such a thing as a Forest Service employee that doesn't have anything to do with fire management,鈥� Sears said.
Sears was on probation and has since been offered his job back, but he鈥檚 worried about returning just to get fired again.
But he said the Forest Service was already struggling before Trump.
鈥淲e only had a quarter of our positions filled,鈥� Sears stressed. 鈥淲e were already extremely understaffed, and the Forest Service was already in the worst-it's-ever-been hiring crisis.鈥�
Back in September, , the agency announced that it would be suspending all seasonal hires for the 2025 season and implementing a freeze on all external hiring for permanent positions, a decision that would .
There is also a large backlog of trails that need maintenance across the country. That鈥檚 a consequence of a and the sheer number of miles the agency is responsible for.
鈥淗onestly, the Forest Service should probably have twice as many field-going employees working for it if we're going to actually manage wildfire risk in this country and in this state,鈥� Sears said.
This extraordinary shift in federal policy comes at a pivotal moment in time where fire experts are warning of a devastating fire season in the Southwest as blazes burn hotter and become more destructive.
Matthew Hurteau is a fire ecologist and biology professor with the University of New Mexico and he is really worried about the current state of New Mexico鈥檚 forests.
鈥淚t's going to be dumb luck if we don't have a terrible fire season,鈥� Hurteau said.
He said the big telltale sign of a smoky future is the and the delays on forest management projects caused by the layoffs.
鈥淎s a result, we're going to go into this fire season with both hands tied behind our back,鈥� he said.
The trail crews have been rehired for now and they have always been an essential resource to curb fire danger. They do maintenance work on fuels, treatments, and dig-in lines for prescribed burning.
In fact, simply cleaning up everyday recreational hiking trails ensures fire break in forests, stopping flames dead in their tracks.
It鈥檚 practices like these that Hurteau points to as crucial for forest health and safety by carefully nudging fire onto the landscape.
鈥淥ur landscapes are shaped by fire, right? And when you have regular burning, it kills very few of the larger trees,鈥� Hurteau said.
Though, when a large wildfire does spark, it has a yearslong rippling effect on smaller, local economies. State economic development officials consider outdoor recreation one of New Mexico鈥檚 target industries and value its . A 2020 report found .
Megan Lawson studies the effects of outdoor recreation at . She said when people aren鈥檛 spending at businesses, that diminishes local government and statewide tax revenue.
鈥淲hen a wildfire is happening, visitors aren't going to be coming to town,鈥� Lawson said.
Her research has found that all of New Mexico鈥檚 counties that rely on outdoor recreation are at high risk from wildfire and they account for nearly half of the state's total outdoor recreational economy.
This includes Cibola and McKinley, which lean on a use to boost their local businesses.
鈥淭hese outdoor recreation communities are thriving, especially in the West, because of their access to public lands,鈥� Lawson said.
That鈥檚 why the threat of federal cuts worries Lawson 鈥� not only because more may be on the horizon 鈥� but because the long-term economic and social impacts could be unprecedented.
