Trump’s cuts hit NC’s national parks and forests. Will visitors notice? What we know now

Visitors to national parks and forests from North Carolina’s mountains to its coast could notice a drop in services because of wholesale federal job cuts by the Trump administration, experts say.

Here is what we know so far.

What national parks and forests are in North Carolina?

There are 10 “units” of the National Park Service in the state:

▪ Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the North Carolina-Tennessee border

▪ Appalachian National Scenic Trail

▪ Blue Ridge Parkway

▪ Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Flat Rock

▪ Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro

▪ Moores Creek National Battlefield, northwest of Wilmington

▪ Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills

▪ Cape Lookout National Seashore

▪ Cape Hatteras National Seashore

▪ Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Manteo

There are five National Forest units in the state:

▪ Pisgah National Forest

▪ Nantahala National Forest

▪ Croatan National Forest

▪ Uwharrie National Forest

▪ Cherokee National Forest on the Tennessee/North Carolina border

Are N.C. State Parks affected by the cuts?

No, none of North Carolina’s 42 state parks will lose staff because of cuts to the federal workforce.

When and how did federal workers lose their jobs?

Since Donald Trump’s return to office on Jan. 20, his senior advisor, Elon Musk, through the federal Department of Government Efficiency and Office of Personnel Management (DOGE), has made two rounds of major cuts.

The first was the “deferred resignation” offer made through what Musk called the “Fork in the Road” memo in late January, in which more than 2 million federal employees were offered a chance to quit by Sept. 30, or be fired. Reports are that about 700 National Park Service employees nationwide left.

The second was an email sent to federal employees who still were on probation, the one- or two-year trial period that applies after someone is hired. Employees received the email between Feb. 12 and Feb. 14 and termination was effective immediately. Another 1,000 National Parks employees across the country are said to have been let go in that round.

In addition, thousands of people who had accepted but not yet started seasonal positions in national parks, performing jobs from collecting user fees to cleaning bathrooms, were told they would not be hired.

The government has since reversed the decision on seasonal employees and said it will hire up to 7,700 people across the 433 units of the national parks, but there likely will be a delay in getting people hired before the start of the parks’ busy summer season.

A small, unknown number of individuals who were fired from national parks and forests have been rehired after the government found the work they did was critical.

What kinds of jobs were cut?

Law enforcement officers and emergency service workers were exempt from the cuts, according to reports.

Rangers who do educational and interpretive work, visitor center employees, maintenance workers, biologists and other researchers, administrative staff and others were subject to the cuts.

How many workers in North Carolina lost their jobs?

Spokespeople for the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service have not answered questions from The News & Observer about the total number of jobs cut or the number at any individual park or national forest unit, saying it’s “a personnel matter.”

However, Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, based in Marana, Ariz., said he was aware of:

▪ At least six people fired from Cape Hatteras National Seashore

▪ At least one from Cape Lookout National Seashore

▪ A dozen at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Wade said he didn’t know if there had been staff cuts at the Blue Ridge Parkway or other national park sites in North Carolina.

So many probationary employees got the notice on Feb. 14, Wade said, “Some people are calling it the Valentine’s Day massacre.” Employees were told to turn in any government gear they had on the spot, Wade said, and to clear out their desks. Within 90 minutes to two hours, they were shut out of their email.

Nationwide, the Forest Service lost about 3,400 probationary employees, including an unknown number in North Carolina, some of whom said in social media posts they had been working to repair Hurricane Helene damage in national forests in the mountains.

How important are national parks and forests to NC tourism?

National parks and forests offer recreational opportunities where the public can see and experience America’s natural and cultural resources.

On the Blue Ridge Parkway, for instance, drivers can view the mountains from a scenic roadway that runs along the high ridges. Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores give beachgoers access to 126 miles of undeveloped ocean shoreline. Guilford Battlefield Park offers visitors a walking tour of the site of the pivotal Revolutionary War battle between British Gen. Charles Cornwallis and Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway are the top two most-visited parks in the system. The Smokies saw more than 13 million visits in 2023 and the Blue Ridge Parkway saw 16.7 million visits.

Whether visitors come to camp along the Blue Ridge Parkway, watch the wild horses on the Outer Banks or a display of synchronous fireflies in the Smokies, research shows they spend money in neighboring communities.

Jeff Hunter, southern Appalachian director of the National Parks Conservation Association, based in Burnsville, “We know that for every dollar the government spends on national parks, $15 are spent by visitors in gateway communities.

“That impacts Nags Head and Bryson City, Maggie Valley, Rodanthe, all these places across the state. These park units support North Carolina’s economic health.”

Tourism is one of North Carolina’s top industries; visitors spent a record $35.6 billion in the state in 2023, and 227,000 residents work in the industry, according to a report last year by the N.C. Department of Commerce.

Will visitors see changes at national parks and forests this year?

It’s not clear whether changes will be immediately obvious, Hunter and Wade said. Seasonal employees, once on board, will pick up some of the work.

Until they’re in place — and after their seasonal employment ends — if parks don’t have enough staff, they might reduce visitor center hours or not open restrooms on certain days, Hunter said. Sections of campgrounds could be closed, maintenance could be deferred on historic buildings, ranger programs could be cut.

“And what’s really concerning,” Hunter said, is there could be more downsizing down the road. We don’t know.”

This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Trump’s cuts hit NC’s national parks and forests. Will visitors notice? What we know now."

Martha Quillin

The News & Observer

919-829-8989

Martha Quillin writes about climate change and the environment. She has covered North Carolina news, culture, religion and the military since joining The News & Observer in 1987.