BILLINGS, Montana (AP)—The administration of President Donald Trump moved to ease environmental protections for potential logging activities across over fifty percent of America’s national forests. This change was implemented through an urgent proclamation released Friday, citing wildfire risks as the justification.
It remains unclear whether the initiative will increase wood supply as intended by President Trump in an executive order issued last month. The previous administration led by former President Joe Biden similarly aimed for increased logging in public forests to fight wildfires, which have intensified due to global warming. However, during Biden's time in office, timber sales conducted by the U.S. Forest Service remained largely unchanged.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins didn’t reference climate change in last Friday’s instruction, where she urged her team to expedite environmental assessments.
This exemption removes affected forests from an objection process that typically permits external entities like tribes and local administrations to contest logging plans administratively prior to their finalization. Additionally, it restricts the range of options available for federal authorities to evaluate during decisions about timber operations.
Conservation organizations often challenge logging initiatives through administrative procedures and legal battles, causing the authorization process to take several years.
The state of emergency encompasses 176,000 square miles (455,000 square kilometers) of territory mainly located in the Western region as well as parts of the Southern area, near the Great Lakes, and in New England. Altogether, this spans an expanse greater than that of California and constitutes 59% of land managed by the Forest Service.
Many of these forests face a significant threat from wildfires, and numerous ones are deteriorating due to pests and illnesses.
“Unusually intense wildfires, insect and disease infestations, invasive species, and various stresses have pushed National Forests into a state of crisis,” Rollins stated in her directive, mirroring the worries expressed previously by her predecessor under Biden, Tom Vilsack.
These threats—alongside dense forest growth, an increase in residential areas within wilderness zones, and years of intense firefighting efforts—contribute to what’s described as a "crisis in forest health." This situation might improve through increased timber harvesting, according to Rollins, who previously served as a conservative lawyer and leads a research institution aligned with President Trump’s views.
Concerns about lost safeguards
Environmental activists dismissed the assertion that efforts to protect against wildfires were responsible for altering forestry policies.
Following the issuance of the new directive, regional Forest Service authorities were instructed to develop strategies aimed at boosting the quantity of timber proposed for sale by 25% within the coming four to five years. Additionally, in a communication from Acting Associate Chief Chris French, these officials were directed to pinpoint initiatives eligible for "categorical exclusions," exceptions that bypass rigorous environmental evaluations.
This is entirely aimed at supporting the timber sector," stated Blaine Miller-McFeeley from the environmental organization Earthjustice. "It doesn’t consider community protection measures. Instead, it focuses solely on the volume of boards and logs being extracted.
For the last ten years, the Forest Service has been selling approximately 3 billion board feet of timber each year. The volume reached its peak several decades back when around 12 billion board feet were sold due to extensive clear-cutting activities across forests. In the 1980s and 1990s, however, these volumes plummeted significantly as stricter environmental regulations came into play and larger portions of land were designated as protected zones where logging was not allowed. A majority of this timber continues to come from privately owned properties.
During Biden’s administration, the Forest Service aimed to increase the intensity of managing national forests in the Western region. This involved accelerating efforts for wildfire protection, which included logging activities within what were termed as "priority landscapes" spanning approximately 70,000 square miles (or around 180,000 square kilometers).
A significant portion of this effort focused on tending to smaller trees and more youthful forests, which contribute extra combustible material to fires but offer lesser gains for logging operations.
Biden suggested enhanced safeguards for ancient woodlands, which sparked criticism from the logging sector; however, this proposal was scrapped towards the end of his administration.
The timber industry desires an increase in the number of accessible trees.
Industry leaders expressed their optimism that the measures taken under the Trump administration could lead to increased sales of mature tree stands sought after by sawmills. According to federal regulations, approximately 6 billion board feet can be harvested each year—roughly double the current logging volume, as stated by Travis Joseph, who serves as the president of the Oregon-based American Forest Resource Council, an industry organization.
This sector requires an ample supply to stay competitive and maintain operations," he stated. "Currently, we aren’t meeting even half of what the forest management plans require. Implementing these plans nationwide would boost the timber availability for U.S. factories and generate both employment opportunities and income.
Last month, Trump instructed government authorities to examine potential threats posed by wood imports to U.S. national security. The administration alleged that both Canada and other nations provide subsidies for their timber industries, which puts American businesses at an unfair disadvantage. Notably, Canadian timber did not face new tariff measures from the White House this time around.
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