USDA Opens 59% of Federal Forest for Logging to Manage Fire Risk

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins placed nearly 113 million acres of forest — amounting to 59% of all federally managed forests — under an emergency determination aimed at boosting logging and reducing wildfire.

The directive issued by Rollins on Friday encourages forest management, including the harvest of dead or dying trees. Rollins said the move comes as President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March to boost US timber production by 25%. The US has also acted to reduce lumber imports from Canada.

The US Forest Service will be directing employees to boost timber output, simplify permitting and reduce regulatory ...