April 5, 2025, President Donald Trump’s Administration announced that 58% of U.S. national forests have allowed logging in hopes of boosting the timber industry. Arguing that the timber situation proves dire, the Secretarial Memo, issued by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, will allow the Forest Service to bypass existing environmental rules.
A letter from the U.S. The Forest Service called for an increase of 25% in the volume of timber available for logging. A substantial number of U.S. forests pose a high wildfire risk due to climate change and nearly a century of wildfire suppression policies that have resulted in overgrown, fire-prone land. The order follows two earlier executive orders in March by President Trump to expand U.S. timber production and address wood product imports.
The order requires an increase in timber output, the permitting process becomes simplified, environmental assessment hurdles die out and contracting burdens reduce. Striving to work with local governments and forest product producers, Trump aims to ensure a consistent supply of domestic timber. This new plan, beginning within 30 days of the order, will lead to the development of a five-year strategy to encourage an exponential increase in timber production moving into the future.
As a majority of national forests sit on the western coast of the U.S., states such as Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming will mainly bear the brunt of logging. These areas, suffering heat year-round, consistently face dangerous wildfires, contributing to the timber industry’s applause for the new order. However, environmentalists criticized the new requirements, arguing that the newfound expansive logging will do little to protect the forests from wildfires, but will substantially damage the forest ecosystems.
“I think Trump wanting to open national forests to logging is unjust and unconstitutional. For years, national forests have been a staple of American history and a beautiful sightseeing attraction. Logging of national parks goes against the ideology of conservation and can lead to American history being permanently altered or destroyed,” magnet junior Kassidy Brown said.
Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canadian lumber could significantly affect its availability in the U.S., where Canada currently supplies about 85% of all softwood lumber imports, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The U.S. Department of Commerce plans to double the tariff rate to 34%, a sharp increase from the existing 14.54% rate, which was itself raised from 8.05% by the Biden administration in August 2024 during an annual tariff review. These higher tariffs, combined with potential new policies aimed at encouraging logging in national forests, could lead to increased domestic logging to compensate for reduced imports.
“Trump opening up national forests for logging may not be the best move for the environment, but it is a good move for us. This way, we spend less money trading with Canada and other big timber producers. It also allows us to have more job opportunities due to the high amounts of logging, so it’s a pretty smart move,” magnet freshman Memphis Dhirar said.
The Trump Administration’s decision to expand logging across 58% of national forests marks a dramatic shift in U.S. environmental and economic policy. By prioritizing timber production and reducing regulatory barriers, the administration hopes to revitalize the domestic lumber industry and address wildfire risks. However, the move has sparked heated debate, as environmental groups warn of potential harm to fragile ecosystems and question the effectiveness of logging as a wildfire prevention strategy. Coupled with rising tariffs on Canadian lumber, this policy could reshape the American timber landscape — economically, environmentally, and politically — for years to come.
