Donald Trump ordered that American forest swaths be cut for timber and avoid rules to protect endangered species while doing so, raising the prospects of chainsaws destroying some of the most ecologically important trees in the United States.
In an executive order, the president has called for the expansion of trees across 280m acres (113m hectares) of national forests and other public lands, claiming that “heavy federal policies” make the US dependent on foreign imports.
“It is important to reverse these policies and increase domestic timber production to protect domestic and economic security,” the order adds.
Trump has directed the U.S. Forest Service and the Land Management Bureau to increase logging targets, and officials have directed them to circumvent the U.S. Endangered Species Species Act by using unspecified emergencies to ignore the protection imposed on vulnerable creature habitats.
The move is similar to recent directions by Trump, using rarely unused committees to push fossil fuel projects, even at risk. Experts say this law for endangered species is probably illegal.
The order also states that cutting projects can be speeded up when called wildfire risk reduction by “thinning” vegetation that could be ignited. Some scientists say aggressively logged forests, particularly established fire-resistant trees, actually increase the risk of fast fires.
“This Trump executive order is the most blatant attempt by the president in American history.
“What’s worse, executive orders are built on lies. While Trump falsely claims that more logging will curb wildfires and protect communities, the overwhelming weight evidence shows the exact opposite.”
Cutting changes the microclimate of the forest and creates hotter and dryer conditions that help wildfires, such as the events that recently destroyed Los Angeles, spread faster, according to Hanson.
“Trump’s exact approach, logging in in a remote forest, telling the community that they were going to stop the fire, and being responsible for the recent destruction of fires and losing hundreds of lives,” he said.
Environmental groups have denounced Trump’s latest attempt to avoid laws on endangered species that protect around 400 species in the national forest, including grizzly bears, spotted owls and wild salmon, and warned that an increase in logging could pollute the water supplies on which millions of Americans rely on.
“Trump’s orders will unleash chainsaws and bulldozers in federal forests. Clearing these beautiful locations will increase the risk of fire, drive species to extinction, pollute rivers and streams, and destroy world-class recreational sites,” said Landispiback Public Land Policy Director at the Center for Biodiversity.
“This is a particularly scary move by Trump to loot our public lands by handing the keys to big businesses.”
The future of some of America’s most precious forests now looks uncertain. Under Joe Biden, the United States has committed to protecting the last fragments of the ancient forest, including some of the grandest and oldest trees on the planet. When trees absorb the planet-earned carbon dioxide, protecting the oldest, most carbon-rich trees is considered a useful way to deal with the climate crisis. The former president also vowed to end deforestation by 2030.
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However, amid a rush of trees ahead of expected restrictions on cutting old growth, national forests have skyrocketed under Biden. Biden halted his old age protection program in January under pressure from the Republicans and the timber industry, and Trump officially killed the executive order on his first day at the White House.
Trump’s shift to a more industry-friendly stance is highlighted by his choice of wood executive lead.
Tom Schulz, vice-president of the Idaho Forest Group, who sold wood, will become the next Chief of the Forest Service, overseeing the management of 154 national forests and 193m acres of land.
“We will work with our partners to control wildfires with all available resources that emphasize the importance of proactively managing national forests and grasslands, increasing outdoor recreation opportunities and protecting safety and resource values,” Schultz said in a statement.
The Green Group criticized Schultz’s choice. “Namening corporate lobbyists to run an institution tasked with overseeing the last old growth left in the US makes clear that the Trump administration’s goal is not to maintain our national forests, but to sell to billionaires and corporate polluters.
Schultz replaces Randy Moore, the first black soil scientist to lead the Forest Service. In a memo departing to staff before resignation, Moore wrote that the recent loss of staff from the agency was “incredibly difficult.”
“If you’re feeling uncertainty, frustration, or loss, you’re not alone,” Moore writes. “These are the real valid emotions I feel. Take care of yourself and each other.”
