The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today welcomed the Department of the Interior’s Notice of Intent to initiate a revision of the Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Management Plans governing the O&C Lands in western Oregon. The action begins a long-overdue reassessment of the 2016 management plans that have constrained active forest management on more […]
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Declining State Trust Land Timber Sales and Policy Decisions Are Worsening Washington DNR’s Budget Situation
Timber sale targets fall again as key DNR operating fund drops from $20 million to $5 million The Washington Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) growing budget shortfall is being made significantly worse by continued reductions in timber harvests on state trust lands, driven by unilateral policy decisions from Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove. Under […]
February 2026 Newsletter
Registration is Open: AFRC’s 2026 Annual Meeting, Skamania Lodge, April 7-9 Washington, DC Update Appropriations Farm Bill? Boren sworn in at USDA Forest Service Proposes Nationwide Post Fire EA Oregon District Court Sets Aside the Forest Service’s Timber Stand Improvement CE Forest Service Signs Decision on the Ellis Project The Partner Paradigm- Timber Contracting in […]
Honoring the Life and Legacy of Paul Beck
The American Forest Resource Council mourns the passing of Paul Beck, a respected leader whose decades of service left a lasting mark on the forest products industry and the communities it supports. AFRC President Travis Joseph reflected on Paul’s impact: “The American Forest Resource Council mourns the passing of Paul Beck. Through his life […]
January 2026 Newsletter
Washington, DC Update Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Permitting Reforms, SPEED Act Forestry Reforms, Fix our Forests Act Secure Rural Schools Passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa The AFRC Podcast Episode 52: A Conversation with U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz AFRC President Urges Congress to Reform EAJA and End Subsidized Anti-Forestry Litigation Forest Service Wraps up […]
Washington State Trust Lands, DNR Face Revenue Crisis as DNR Timber Sales Fall to 22-Year Low
AFRC warns historic decline in timber volume and 77,000-acre set-aside will deepen budget shortfalls for schools, counties, and essential public services The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today raised alarms about a historic collapse in Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) timber sales on state trust lands, warning that the decline threatens funding for public […]
Tom Partin: Another Forest Project Halted While Montana Wildfire Risks Grow
Note: This piece was originally published in The Missoulian, December 30, 2025 Once again a federal court decision has stopped a well-designed forest management project, leaving communities and wildlife habitat more vulnerable to wildfire while a small group of anti-forestry activists declares victory. The recent ruling vacating the South Plateau Project on the Custer-Gallatin National […]
AFRC President Calls for EAJA Reform in Testimony Before House Natural Resources Subcommittee
American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) President Travis Joseph testified today before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Natural Resources Committee calling on Congress to modernize the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). Joseph said EAJA has strayed far from its original purpose and now subsidizes litigation that delays essential forest management, wildfire […]
December 2025 Newsletter
Washington, DC Update Shutdown ends SPEED Act Senate ENR hearings The AFRC Podcast Episode 51: Sara Ghafouri and the Legal Frontlines of Forestry Virginia District Court Dismisses Plaintiffs’ Challenge to the Forest Service’s 2020 NEPA Regulations New Endangered Species Act Regulations Proposed Siuslaw National Forest and Oregon Department of Forestry Begin New Partnership AFRC Meets […]
November 2025 Newsletter
Washington, DC Update Government shutdown Fix Our Forests Act Barred Owl Removal Strategy National Historic Preservation Act Committee Hearing The AFRC Podcast Episode 50: Travis Joseph and Nick Smith BLM Proposes Rescission of the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule Colville and Okanogan Wenatchee Forests Move Quickly to Salvage Fire Areas Snowy Butte Draft EA Open […]