US Forest Service: On Losing Ground

Lowlights from the USFS December 2025 Trail Program Status Report

Tracking the health and functionality of our state and federal agencies is just as important as monitoring the physical conditions of the singletrack we ride. The December 2025 Trail Program Status Report, an internal document issued by the US Forest Service, paints a sobering picture of the ground we are losing with each passing day.

The report summarizes comments from 290 USFS staff members and leaders across all regions. It confirms what our member organizations have seen firsthand over the past decade, describing an agency currently unable to meet its core mission due to systemic failures in hiring, funding, and leadership. 

The Data on Displacement

The statistics provided by the Forest Service illustrate a program that is failing to keep pace with public demand and neglecting its leadership and frontline staff:

• Declining Performance: Total miles of trail maintained have dropped by 22%, and miles meeting agency standards are down by 19%—the lowest accomplishment levels recorded in 15 years.
• Workforce Collapse: Some districts have lost up to 100% of their trail staff. The agency is losing critical technical expertise in areas essential to trails, including mechanized equipment operation, project management, planning, and specialized construction.
• Strategic Abandonment: Due to staffing shortages, the agency is prioritizing front-country trails while effectively abandoning backcountry trails.
• Financial Inefficiency: Millions of dollars in unspent grant funds have been returned to the Treasury due to the agency’s lack of staff to process agreements or oversee work. Districts are forgoing future grant opportunities because they lack the capacity to manage them.

Read the Full Report

A Failure of Leadership and Oversight

While the Forest Service staff on the ground are facing widespread burnout and declining morale, the responsibility for this crisis lies with the current administration and lawmakers unwilling to push back despite this glaring need. The current state of affairs is the result of a failure to prioritize the recreation-based economic contributions that communities in California depend on. Without a change in direction regarding hiring authorities and grants management, the agency risks losing decades of infrastructure investment.

A Necessary Step Forward

We cannot allow our trail networks to be lost to administrative gridlock and underfunding. We are calling on the mountain biking and trails community to hold our elected officials accountable. The most immediate path to stabilizing these programs is the passage of the Senate FY26 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. This bill provides the necessary funding to rebuild agency capacity and support the partners and volunteers who keep our public lands accessible.

A Call to Action: Protect Our Trails & Public Lands

The bottom line is clear: public access and the recreation-based economic contributions they provide, as well as the conditions of our public lands, will continue to decline in 2026 without a shift in priorities.

Please join on the front lines of defending our public lands by sending a message to lawmakers to pass the Senate FY26 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. This bill is vital to restoring agency capacity and ensuring the Forest Service has the staff and resources to keep our trails open, safe, and sustainable.

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