The Trump administration has signed a formal agreement with the state of Utah to accelerate timber harvesting on potentially millions of acres of Forest Service lands in the name of improved forest health and greater cooperation with state and local leaders.
The formal cooperative agreement signed Thursday by Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox would “expand sustainable timber production,” including forest thinning to reduce wildfire threats.
It’s part of a model the Trump administration has been advancing with states over the past year to give them more input into managing federal lands, including national forests.
The Forest Service in June approved a similar shared stewardship agreement with Montana, which has 17 million acres of forestland and last month signed a separate agreement with Idaho, where the agency manages about 16 million acres.
