The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today filed a public records request with the City of Port Angeles to shed light on how city officials determined its opposition to the Power Plant timber sale on trust lands managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Local activists and some local elected officials, including City […]
Press Releases
AFRC Asks Supreme Court to Clarify: Who Makes Public Land laws, Congress or the President?
Should a U.S. President enjoy unfettered authority to indefinitely suspend or cancel the operation of a federal law established by Congress? That’s a question the American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to answer. Today, AFRC and the Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) filed a joint petition for a writ of […]
AFRC Comments on D.C. Circuit Opinion on O&C Lands, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
American Forest Resource Council President (AFRC) Travis Joseph had the following to say regarding the D.C. Circuit’s opinion on the Obama-era expansion of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) and the 2016 Resource Management Plans for Western Oregon O&C Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): “Our litigation regarding Western Oregon O&C Lands […]
Ninth Circuit Upholds Flathead Revised Forest Plan, Allowing Forest Management Projects to Proceed
The Ninth Circuit today upheld the Flathead National Forest’s Revised Forest Plan, allowing forest management projects that were developed under the new plan to proceed. The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) and the Montana Logging Association participated in the litigation as Intervenors in support of the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. […]
Federal Court Sides with Counties, Cities, and Forestry Groups, Ruling USFS May Continue Use of Aerial Fire Retardants to Fight Wildfires
Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana (Court) issued a ruling in a case brought by Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE) against the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) seeking to enjoin the USFS’ use of aerial fire retardants during firefighting activities. The Court ruled that USFS may continue using aerial fire […]
AFRC Comments on Ninth Circuit Opinion on Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
American Forest Resource Council President (AFRC) Travis Joseph had the following to say regarding the Ninth Circuit opinion on the Obama-era expansion of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM) on Western Oregon O&C Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): “We’re pleased the Ninth Circuit affirmed that the president, regardless of political affiliation, […]
Biden Administration Report on Mature and Old Growth Forests Underscores Need for Proactive Forest Management
American Forest Resource Council President Travis Joseph had the following to say regarding the Biden Administration’s announcement on policies relating to mature and old growth forests on federal lands: “This announcement and year-long effort confirms what we’ve known: we’re not lacking old growth, we’re lacking common sense in stewarding our forests. Our national forests and […]
Federal Judge Upholds BLM Rule Ending ‘Paperwork Protests’ of BLM Forest Management Projects
On March 27, U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane granted summary judgment in favor of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and upheld a 2020 Rule eliminating the agency’s protest process which previously resulted in unnecessary and bureaucratic delays to timber harvests and fuel reduction projects on BLM-managed lands, including more than two million acres […]
Ninth Circuit Dismisses Challenge to Forest Project on Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
On March 27, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s decision on summary judgment regarding a challenge the South Fork Stillaguamish Vegetation Management Project on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, allowing the project to proceed. The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) intervened in the litigation on behalf of Hampton Lumber Mills-Washington, […]
AFRC, Eastern Oregon Counties Defend U.S. Forest Service’s ‘Eastside Screens’ Amendment
Today, the American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) and Eastern Oregon Counties Association filed an opposition brief in a federal lawsuit seeking to vacate the U.S. Forest Service’s “Eastside Screens” Amendment that improves the agency’s ability to reduce wildfire risks and restore forest health on national forests in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. Last year, AFRC […]