Los Angeles, California – Southern California’s wildfire-scarred national forests may soon face a new threat: widespread logging. An emergency order issued Friday by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins calls for a 25% increase in timber harvesting across nearly 113 million acres of national forests nationwide, including some of California’s most iconic and ecologically sensitive landscapes.
The sweeping directive, part of what the Trump administration has called a response to a “forest health crisis,” targets large areas of the Angeles, San Bernardino, Los Padres, and Cleveland national forests. Officials cite wildfire risk, insect infestations, and a heavy reliance on timber imports as justifications for the order, which aims to expedite permits for logging operations.
“These actions will improve the durability, resilience, and resistance to fire, insects, and disease,” Rollins said. Logging industry leaders welcomed the move, calling it overdue. “Our federal forests have been mismanaged for decades,” said Travis Joseph, president of the American Forest Resource Council. “This is a common-sense directive.”…