Today, the United States Forest Service (USFS) proposed burdensome regulations that will make it harder to responsibly manage against wildfire and forest health threats. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"Today's announcement proposing to restrict responsible timber harvesting in so-called old-growth forests is another example of this administration rejecting science and prioritizing an out-of-touch environmentalist agenda. While the Biden administration has failed to define an old-growth forest, all forests would be protected if the Forest Service focused on its mission of managing the lands it controls. Instead, they’ve taken a partisan, unscientific direction, wasting precious time and resources. As its overgrown forests turn to tinderboxes, the Forest Service should be focused on active forest management to mitigate wildfire risk, curb diseases, and give land managers critical tools for success. Unfortunately, the USFS’ misguided action will further restrict badly needed forest management efforts, taking a vital tool out of the hands of the land managers who need them most."

Background

Today, the USFS published in the Federal Register a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed national old-growth forest plan amendment. The amendment would alter all 128 forest management plans and potentially limit the scope and expediency of much-needed active forest management nationwide. Imposing additional restrictions on forest management during a historic wildfire crisis remains unwise and should be rejected. 

The proposed amendment continues the objectives of the Biden administration’s misguided Executive Order 14072, which will alter forest land management plans related to old-growth forests and grasslands across the country, restricting timber harvests on roughly 32 million acres of federal lands.