The move appears aimed at increasing domestic supply as the president considers tariffs on timber imports from Canada, Germany, Brazil and elsewhere. Environmental groups say increased logging would decimate American forests, pollute air and water and devastate wildlife habitats.
And because trees absorb and store carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, cutting them down releases it back into the atmosphere, adding to global warming.
“Trump’s order will unleash the chain saws and bulldozers on our federal forests,” said Randi Spivak, the public lands policy director for the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group. “Clearcutting these beautiful places will increase fire risk, drive species to extinction, pollute our rivers and streams, and destroy world-class recreation sites,” she said....
The Endangered Species Act requires thorough assessments to ensure that activities like logging do not harm protected wildlife and their habitats. Bypassing that process has historically been reserved for small projects like trail maintenance.
But developers and the construction industry have long complained that the system is burdensome and adds to their costs, a position supported by the Trump administration.
From the NY Times, March 6, 2025, by Lisa Friedman: