News

AFRC, Counties Challenge Delay to 2021 Northern Spotted Owl Critical Habitat Rule

The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today joined the Association of O&C Counties and counties in Washington, Oregon, and California in challenging the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) illegal delay in implementing its 2021 critical habitat designation for the Northern Spotted Owl (NSO). The 2021 critical habitat designation removed areas that are not habitat […]


February 2021 Newsletter

Our February 2021 newsletter includes a Washington DC update, the latest on President Biden’s 30 by 30 Executive Order and regulatory review process. Also, Western Oregon wildfire data has been published, Ninth Circuit upholds denial of injunction against Brebner Flat Project, and more.


AFRC Welcomes Woodgrain as New Member

The American Forest Resource Council proudly welcomes Woodgrain as it newest member.  With sawmills in Idaho and Oregon, the company joins a growing trade association of logging and milling operations across the West. “AFRC is proud to serve Woodgrain. We are committed to helping this company obtain the wood fiber it needs to manufacture world-class […]


January 2021 Newsletter

The January 2021 newsletter includes a Washington, DC update; New NSO Rule Is a Step to Restoring the Promise of the Northwest Forest Plan; Forest Service Signs Final Decision on Eastside Screens Amendment; and more.


NSO Critical Habitat: Myths and Facts

On January 13, 2021 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a rule designating more than 6.1 million acres of critical habitat for the Northern Spotted Owl (NSO).  Anti-forestry groups are making false claims about what the rule means for owls and our forests.  Learn the truth.   MYTH: This rule reduces protections for the Northern […]


Northern Spotted Owl “Critical Habitat” Rule Aligns Policy with Law and Science

The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today said a new rule finalized by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) will better align Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) critical habitat with federal law and modern forest science at a time when unprecedented and severe wildfires threaten both owls and people from Northern California to Washington State. […]


December 2020 Newsletter

Save the Date: AFRC Annual Meeting Set for August 2-4 Washington DC Update How the Biden Administration Could Influence Federal Forest Policy Scientific Rebuttal on Spotted Owls and Wildfire Published Mission Restoration Project on the Okanogan-Wenatchee Gets the Greenlight Kootenai Wildland Urban Interface Shared Stewardship Collaboratives Creating Momentum for Management on the Caribou-Targhee AFRC is […]


AFRC Supports New BLM Rule to Reduce Wildfire Risks, End ‘Paperwork Protests’

The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today applauded the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for finalizing a new rule streamlining the process for active forest management on BLM-managed lands.  The new rule closes a loophole in the public engagement process that has significantly delayed, and in some cases stopped, timber harvests and fuel reduction projects […]


New BLM Policy Supports Post-Fire Forest Recovery and Reforestation

The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today applauded the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for finalizing a new rule expediting post-fire recovery and reforestation efforts on federal lands. Specifically, the rule creates a new 3,000-acre categorical exclusion (CX) under the National Environmental Policy Act to help expedite the removal and sale of dead and dying […]