On March 1, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order (EO) 14225, titled “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.” The EO proposes to increase logging on federal lands to reduce wildfire risks. This action has raised significant concerns among environmentalists as to its potential impacts on the environment and public access to federal lands. The order aims to increase domestic timber production by streamlining regulations, reducing permitting delays, and easing environmental oversight, particularly under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The EO allows federal land management agencies to adopt categorical exclusions under NEPA, bypassing certain environmental reviews. Many in the environmental community argue this will increase the risk of habitat degradation and diminish public access. Others argue that aggressive logging practices, such as clearcutting or removing large, fire-resistant trees, could worsen wildfire severity, not reduce it.
Federal forests are critical for outdoor recreation, including hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing. Increased logging, particularly in sensitive areas, could degrade the natural landscapes that support these activities and limit public access to pristine forest areas. The foundation recognizes the environmental concerns that increased logging poses, but also acknowledges the threat that wildfires pose to our forest and range lands. We encourage stakeholders to work collaboratively as they seek to protect our public lands. Concerns about potential abuses under the new policy need to be weighed against the very real threat posed by wildfires.