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 […]
Press Releases
Ninth Circuit Upholds Denial of Injunction Against Brebner Flat Project on Idaho Panhandle National Forest
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on February 22 refused to halt the Brebner Flat Project on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. The ruling affirms a U.S. District Court’s previous denial of a preliminary injunction against this project, which seeks to improve forest health on federal lands in the Wildland Urban Interface […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Tree Removal Necessary to Ensure Public Safety at Walton Lake
The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) and Crook County today applauded the Ochoco National Forest’s decision to move forward once again with the Walton Lake Restoration Project, an effort to improve forest health, ensure public safety and mitigate wildfire danger immediately surrounding Walton Lake, the national forest’s most heavily-used developed recreation site. The Ochoco National […]
Replace Clinton-Era Rule to Accelerate Science-based Eastside Forest Restoration
The American Forest Resource Council (AFRC) today submitted comments in support of amending the Clinton-era “Wildlife Standard of the Eastside Screens,” also known as the “Eastside Screens” governing the management of national forests in Eastern and Central Oregon. AFRC joins diverse organizations- ranging from counties to hunting and recreation groups to forestry groups- urging the […]
State Trust Land Beneficiary Coalition Wins Key Legal Victory in Thurston County
A coalition of Washington state counties, schools, fire districts and others won a key legal victory on Oct. 2 when Thurston County Judge Erik D. Price dismissed a lawsuit filed by anti-forestry groups against the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The anti-forestry groups’ lawsuit sought to undermine the DNR’s fiduciary obligations to manage Washington […]