The Trump administration will put nearly 113 million acres of national forests — or more than half the system’s land — under an emergency order to boost timber production, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday.
In a memo dated April 3, Rollins said the 112.7 million acres would be subject to an “emergency situation determination” that eases environment reviews and simplifies federal permits to harvest timber in areas deemed at high risk of wildfire and insect or disease infestation.
A map from USDA indicated most areas are in the West, where the bulk of national forests are — but not entirely.
States and tribes can request that additional acreage be added, the department said, drawing on authorities in the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by former President Joe Biden — a piece of legislation the Trump administration has mostly disparaged.
