Press Releases

The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) along with a coalition of counties in Washington, Oregon and California and the Association of O&C Counties filed a legal challenge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) November 2021 decision to withdraw...

The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today voiced its strong support for two Executive Orders signed by President Trump on March 1, aimed at expanding U.S. timber production and strengthening the domestic lumber industry. The Executive Orders address key challenges facing federal forest management, wildfire prevention, and the economic sustainability...

American Forest Resource Council President Travis Joseph has the following to say regarding the appointment of Tom Schultz as the 21st Chief of the U.S. Forest Service: “Tom Schultz recognizes the vital role of active forest management on federal lands in supporting rural communities, strengthening local economies, and protecting the...

Today, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado. This case presents a crucial opportunity to address the extensive and often overreaching applications of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which have significant implications for infrastructure and environmental...

California forest sector leaders today cautioned President Joe Biden that using Antiquities Act authorities to create a new Sáttítla National Monument will significantly complicate efforts to mitigate severe wildfires, protect communities, and restore forest health in northern California. The monument proposal spans over 200,000 acres of federal land within the...

Today the American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) announced a significant legal victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concerning three critical forest management projects—Baby Bear, Bear Wallow, and South Warner—on the Fremont-Winema National Forest. The Ninth Circuit upheld the U.S. Forest Service’s use of the timber...

On Friday, the American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) will formally submit comments to the Forest Service highlighting how the proposed National Old-Growth Amendment undermines the agency’s ability to address the primary threats to old-growth forests including severe wildfires that have already devastated nearly 700,000 acres of old-growth forests on federal...

Today, the American Forestry Resource Council (AFRC) and Western Energy Alliance (Alliance) submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of the petitioners in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition and Uinta Basin Railway, LLC v. Eagle County, Colorado et al. Mountain States Legal Foundation, led by counsel Ivan London...

The fate of Washington’s cap-and-trade law, the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), will be decided by voters this November. Proponents of the law often claim that repealing the CCA would eliminate critical funding to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and make forests more resilient to climate change. However, these claims...

Pacific County Superior Court Judge Donald J. Richter last week rejected a lawsuit by anti-forestry groups claiming the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) violated state laws in approving a timber sale in mature forest stands, also politically labeled as “legacy forests,” on public working forests known as state trust...

The Pintler Face Project on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest can proceed with commercial timber harvest activities after U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen today denied, in part, a motion for a preliminary injunction sought by anti-forestry groups. The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) became involved in the litigation due to...

Washington faces significant social and economic risks if anti-forestry groups are successful in pushing the Board of Natural Resources and candidates for Commissioner of Public Lands to close an additional 77,000 acres of public working forests in western Washington, known as Department of Natural Resources (DNR) state trust lands. These...

On a matter of vital importance, the Supreme Court of the United States today granted certiorari in the case of Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado. This case presents a crucial opportunity to address the extensive and often overreaching applications of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which...

The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today said the U.S. Forest Service’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement for its proposed nationwide old growth amendment will not address the primary threats to old growth forests on National Forest System lands, including severe wildfires, insect infestations, and disease that have already devastated nearly...

Managing Forests, Using Wood Products Deliver Sustained Climate Benefits A new report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should question the narrative the United States is running out of old growth, and “protecting the last remaining” old growth is the only solution to combatting climate change. Research suggests forests are...