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Show Personnel Reductions Set In U. S. Forest Region The number ofpi-rson-ni'l Mss'iKiii'd to the IntiT-inoiiiilain IntiT-inoiiiilain Hc'K'ioiial Office (if the Forest Service will be reduced 10 per cent by M;irch 1)1, 1973, and 25 per cent by December Dec-ember :), 1973, Regional Region-al Forester Vern Ilamre announced. Four hundred and forty employees are presently assigned to the lU'K'ional Office. A e c o r d i n k to Mr. Ilamre, "Kvery effort will be made to accomplish accom-plish needed personnel reductions through normal nor-mal attrition, including voluntary retirements and carefully arranged transfers to other Forest Service units." Mr. Ilamre explained that the planned decrease in the Ogden Regional Office staffing will necessitate nec-essitate shifting some program work to the National Na-tional Forest. Other programs pro-grams handled in the Regional Office will have to be reduced or deferred. defer-red. He stated that existing exist-ing and foreseeable funds are grossly inadequate to provide for the growing grow-ing public use, to meet the rising costs of doing business, to improve the quality of land and resource re-source management, and to comply with recent legislation such as the National Knvironmental Policy Act. A review of the Inter-mountain Inter-mountain Regional Office, Of-fice, National Forest and Ranger District organizations organ-izations has been underway under-way for some time to determine ways to make operations more efficient ef-ficient and effective. All concerned are looking for and adopting approaches ap-proaches to reduce overhead over-head expenditures and to provide for needed environmental en-vironmental protection and maximum possible service to the public. "Our austere budget and the rising cost of doing business make the early actions necessary so that we can continue to carry on at least the highest priority programs" pro-grams" said Hamre. "With increased use of National Forests by the public, more money and personnel are needed for such work as campground camp-ground maintenance and cleanup, winter sports administration, watershed water-shed improvement, road maintenance and wildlife management. Planned reductions in Regional Office staffing will help free funds to meet these needs." |