Donald Trump signed two executive orders on 1 March 2025 aimed at bolstering domestic timber production from national forests and public lands. These are the “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production” and “Addressing the Threat to National Security from Imports of Timber and Lumber.” Critics have underscored the fact that these presidential actions empower the domestic logging industry to evade rules relevant to environmental protection.
Expanding U.S. Timber Production: Trump Plans to Use Federal Lands and Bypass Relevant Conservation Policies to Cut Down Millions of Trees for Domestic Timber Production
Plan to Increase Logging on Federal Lands
The order titled “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production” aims to boost domestic timber production by reducing regulations and increasing access to federal lands. Trump noted that existing policies have forced the U.S. to depend on imported lumber. He further claims that this has weakened the economy and contributed to wildfire disasters.
Hence, under the order, the Trump administration instructs the U.S. Forest Service or USFS and the Bureau of Land Management or BLM to find ways to accelerate timber production. It also directs the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to exempt timber thinning and salvage operations from the National Environmental Policy Act.
The National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA is a landmark environmental law signed in 1970 that requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of their proposed actions before making decisions. Nevertheless, under the new executive order, extracting trees under the USFS and BLM is now exempted from environmental impact assessments.
Agencies are also directed to maximize the use of emergency regulations under the Endangered Species Act to circumvent protections for wildlife. This law safeguards about 400 species, such as grizzly bears and spotted owls, from habitat destruction. The executive order noted that exceptions can be made in cases of national security concerns or natural disasters.
Investigation Into Imported Timber and Lumber
Furthermore, regarding the order titled “Addressing the Threat to National Security from Imports of Timber and Lumber,” the Trump administration is ordering the Secretary of Commerce to spearhead an investigation aimed at assessing whether the importation of timber, lumber, and other wood products derivatives threatens to impair national security.
Section 1 of the executive order contends that the U.S. faces significant vulnerabilities in the wood supply chain due to its dependence on importation. It noted that wood products are key inputs used by both the civilian construction industry and the military. The U.S. military spends USD 10 billion each year on construction and innovative wood-based materials.
The results of the investigation could serve as a basis for declaring a national security emergency to legitimize the cutting of trees within national forests and public lands. The declaration would enable the Trump administration to sidestep relevant environmental regulations to bolster domestic logging activities and accelerate further domestic timber production.
Note that two executive orders provide the Trump administration with a coordinated strategy for boosting domestic timber production. Trump can use national security as a legal tool to override protections for forests and wildlife to reduce U.S. dependence on imported timber and lumber while streamlining logging operations by overruling regulatory hurdles.
Environmental Concerns and Industry Influence
The USFS manages about 193 million acres of forests and woodlands while BLM manages around 58 million acres of other public lands. These agencies oversee a combined 251 million acres of land that can be freed up for large-scale logging operations to support domestic timber and lumber production. This has raised concerns over widespread deforestation.
However, based on current production capacity and domestic demand, the domestic industry does not have the facilities and human resources to cause large-scale deforestation. The concern still has its merits if the further expansion in demand from the public and private sectors and ramp-up of production capacities due to supply abundance are taken into consideration.
The main environmental issue is the reduced oversight. Remember that the Trump administration is planning to circumvent relevant environmental regulations in place. This could eventually result in unsustainable practices that could harm ecosystems, disturb wildlife habitats, threaten old-growth forests, endanger protected species, and worsen wildfire risks.
Furthermore, it is also worth mentioning that Tom Schultz, the current Chief of the Forest Service, previously worked as a lobbyist for the timber industry. This signals close ties between policymakers and logging companies and a potential conflict of interest. Environmental groups are expected to challenge the order by raising concerns about long-term consequences.
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