Washington DC - Experts are warning that wildfires will worsen and become harder to control if the Trump administration continues with plans to reduce staff numbers and gut funding.

The US Forest Service (USFS) is likely to lay off about 3,400 employees, or about 10% of its workforce, Politico reported on Thursday. Cuts will include jobs related to the prevention and mitigation of major wildfires.

Public safety employees at the USFS such as firefighters are not included in the layoffs. But those who work on mitigation – including the maintenance of fire trails and watershed restoration – will be hit hard.

In addition, a sizable budget cut is expected, which will likely see projects scrapped and services weakened, harming efforts to prevent severe wildfires like those seen in California in January.

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Now, experts are issuing a stark warning that these cuts have the potential to damage wildfire mitigation and, as a result, worsen future wildfires.

"The forests were already in crisis," a wildfire prevention expert in California told the New York Times. "This is pulling the rug out from that entire endeavor."

While President Donald Trump has cited an improvement in government efficiency as the main reason for the cuts, the heightened exposure to natural disasters could prove devastating.

"We’ve been understaffed for many years," said one USFS manager. "When we get to July and August, and we have forest fires, how are we going to manage those?"

The USFS undertakes many responsibilities, such as back burning to remove the underbrush and the management of water supplies. Trump has previously criticized failures to complete such activities, but these cuts will likely make it much harder to do so.

A private forecast from AccuWeather estimated the LA wildfires will ultimately cost more than $250 billion in damages. In 2025, the USFS requested $8.9 billion in funding.

This represents a huge disparity between the apparent desire of the Trump administration to reduce spending and the enormous cost incurred if uncontrolled wildfires become more common.

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Of particular concern to remaining employees at the USFS is the damage that the cuts will do both to the loyalty of ongoing staff members and the people who were laid off as well. Some warn that it could lead to a brain drain at the service.

Recruitment may become difficult as a result of the cuts, with many of those let go working in the forests rather than behind desks, providing valuable experience and knowledge not easily regained.

"Who in their right mind is going to want to come back?" one person told the New York Times. "This is going to ripple for years."