The Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry in Hilo is among more than 50 U.S. Forest Service Research and Development Facilities that are slated for closure. Operating since 1956, the institute meets the diverse information needs of natural resource managers across the Pacific, according to the facility’s website. Since 1905, Forest Service Research and Development has used forests as “living laboratories” to help researchers, governments, and communities alike better understand their surrounding natural environment. The 57 Forest Service Research and Development sites that are expected to close span 31 states and each perform critical, specialized research that cannot be easily replicated or relocated. As the only research facilities of their kind in the regions they serve, the senators raised alarms about the consequences of their closure.