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. […]
Press Releases
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 […]
Brief: Senate Committee Considers Bill Ensuring Transparency, Accountability in Leasing of State Trust Lands
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks today held a hearing on SB 5254, a bipartisan bill to ensure transparency, accountability and public involvement in the leasing of state trust lands managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). What does the bill do? SB 5254 ensures that major DNR lease […]
District Court Rules in Favor of Tecuya Ridge Shaded Fuelbreak Project on Los Padres National Forest
An effort to reduce wildfire risks on the Los Padres National Forest and protect nearby communities can proceed after U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips today ruled in favor of the U.S. Forest Service’s Tecuya Ridge Shaded Fuelbreak Project above Frazier Park, Calif. The Tecuya Project has been tied up in federal courts for the […]
Anti-Forestry Rally in Downtown Portland: Misguided Policy Will Lead to More Wildfire and Smoke
Under the guise of “protecting” mature and old growth forests, several anti-forestry groups today are holding a rally in downtown Portland to pressure the Biden Administration and the U.S. Forest Service to issue new regulations restricting active forest management on overstocked and fire-prone national forests in Oregon and throughout the West. This policy would be […]