…The loss of key environmental stewards will be keenly felt across the West, home to most of the nation’s public lands managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Besides the personal blow of losing what many workers described as “a dream job,” the impacts will have a massive ripple effect on the health of public lands — and on people’s ability to enjoy them safely. Forest Service employees generally tackle arduous, unglamorous work that, if done correctly, is invisible to most of those who benefit from it. …The Forest Service staff targeted by DOGE also include the biologists and botanists who ensure that projects on public land comply with environmental regulations. These staff members conduct surveys of the landscape before signing off on logging, mining or other activities. The sudden hemorrhaging of agency employees means that many economically valuable projects will be delayed or halted altogether.