States are increasingly leading projects in national forests.

OLYMPIA, WA – Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders to increase logging in national forests and on other federal lands.

Trump’s orders direct federal agencies to set aggressive targets for timber harvests and to circumvent environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act that protect critical habitats.

State officials and forestry experts say Trump’s plan relies heavily on state land management agencies to carry it out. Most states say they’ll cooperate to some extent — especially to boost wildfire prevention projects. But most states also are concerned that federal workforce cuts will undermine their goals, and some worry about loosening environmental standards.

“It’s 100% dependent on state partnerships,” said Dallin Brooks, executive director of the National Hardwood Lumber Association trade group. “It really is contingent on the states going in and helping. The states have the expertise, the manpower, the local desire, and they’re less likely to face battles on the environmentalist front.”

Leaders in liberal-leaning states say they’ve invested heavily in wildfire resilience work on federal forests. They’re cautiously optimistic that Trump’s orders could allow them to expand such projects. But they oppose efforts to slash environmental regulations to boost commercial logging.

Meanwhile, foresters in conservative-leaning states say they welcome the chance to increase domestic timber production and help a struggling industry.

States’ role

Over the past decade, states have played an increasing role in many of the projects on federal lands, from logging to thinning to habitat restoration. Foresters say state agencies often have a stronger workforce and more efficient contracting systems. By letting states take the lead, using partnerships such as the Good Neighbor Authority, the U.S. Forest Service has unlocked hundreds of projects spanning nearly every national forest.

“We almost end up becoming like an easy button,” said Trevor McConchie, who leads the federal lands program with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, Trump fired 3,400 Forest Service employees last month, who have since been temporarily reinstated. But the agency is poised to shed another 7,000 employees in the coming months, E&E News reported. The cuts are likely to increase the feds’ reliance on state partners.

“The Forest Service is cutting staff left and right, so they’re offloading to the states the ability to carry out this logging,” said Randi Spivak, public lands policy director with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental nonprofit. “Some states can do good work. But I fear so many states will not.”

The Forest Service did not respond to a Stateline interview request.

State leaders say they’re still evaluating Trump’s executive orders, but may find some benefits.

“If this results in new opportunities to partner for forest health work, fuels reduction, things that are beneficial for our interest as a state, I want to find and seize those opportunities,” said Dave Upthegrove, the Washington state commissioner of public lands. “We wouldn’t partner in something if we felt it didn’t meet our department’s rigorous environmental standards.”

Since 2019, the state DNR has led projects to thin dense forests and restore habitat on more than 25,000 acres of federal forests.

Other states are taking a similar approach.

“If this helps achieve some of the work we need to make our forests more resilient to fire, that would be hopeful,” said Chief Matthew Reischman, deputy director of resource management with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “We have a huge focus on treating federal lands.”

Reischman said that 50% to 60% of the state funding California spends on forest health projects is put toward work in national forests and other federal lands. State investments have funded projects covering 300,000 acres on those lands.

Oregon has also made significant investments in projects in national forests.

“To the extent that [Trump’s executive orders] allow us to continue this work, we would welcome that,” said Kyle Sullivan-Astor, federal forest restoration program lead with the Oregon Department of Forestry. “We’re not interested in skirting around [environmental] laws or doing anything that is not in line with the mission of the agency.”

Boosting timber

In other states, foresters see an opportunity to increase the domestic timber supply and bring back jobs in rural communities.

“We have a lot of mills that are just barely making it right now,” Wyoming State Forester Kelly Norris said. “We have to quickly find where to get more timber to offer.”

Norris said the state’s partnerships to work on federal land will drastically increase because of Trump’s orders. She said her agency welcomes the feds’ loosening of environmental regulations as well. But she said the cuts to staff at the Forest Service and other agencies could undermine Trump’s goals.

“It has been such a disruption,” Norris said. “One of the things we’ve all looked at as the Forest Service workforce reduces is how we use the state’s strength in contracting systems and timber sale efficiencies on these federal lands. It’s become more real than ever that we need to be doing that.”

Brooks, of the hardwood lumber group, said the timber industry depends on a strong federal workforce.

“[The Forest Service] accidentally fired all their tree markers,” he said. “You can’t log it if you can’t mark the trees. Then they brought them all back. We all want to see less waste from the government, but there is a need for those workers.”

In Utah, State Forester Jamie Barnes said state leadership has proven to be a good model for projects on federal land.

“It’s a lot more efficient, it’s an easier way to get business done, it’s a better way to coordinate between industry and the local community,” she said.

Barnes said Utah has invested heavily in reducing wildfire risk on federal lands, while partnering with the feds on efforts to boost the timber industry. She called Trump’s executive orders “long overdue,” but said the state is still analyzing the details.

Utah leaders are also assessing how they might fill gaps caused by the Forest Service layoffs, which could include hiring seasonal workers at the state level. But Barnes expressed confidence that Trump’s actions were a strong first step toward reviving the state’s timber economy.

In Idaho, state forestry officials conduct projects on about 5,000 acres of federal lands each year, including 3,000 acres of timber harvesting. The state views federal lands as critical for its timber industry and aims to support Trump’s efforts to increase logging, said Jon Songster, federal lands bureau chief with the Idaho Department of Lands.

More concerns

Environmental groups say Trump’s orders, especially those overriding conservation protections, will have devastating effects.

“This is going to get carried out in a really horrific fashion,” said Spivak, of the Center for Biological Diversity. “[Some states] have been chomping at the bit because they look at national forests as places where they can log, log, log.”

Spivak said unchecked logging will focus on the biggest mature trees, which are most important for animal habitat, wildfire resilience and carbon storage. And she noted that large timber projects can cause erosion that damages critical watersheds.

Some state leaders say they’re keeping a wary eye on Trump’s regulatory rollbacks.

“We’re looking to partner where we have shared interests and values,” said Upthegrove, the Washington official. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to jump in and be a partner for the federal agencies to do anything they want.”

Timber industry leaders claim the uptick in work on federal lands will mostly be focused on thinning projects and forest health initiatives. They say wood products are needed to address the national housing shortage. And they agree that states’ role will be critical.

“It’s really up to the individual states and how heavily invested they want to be in this model,” said Nick Smith, public affairs director with the American Forest Resource Council, a timber industry group. “The Forest Service has a tough job in managing tens of millions of acres, and it needs to lean on its state partners for all the work that needs to be done.”

Smith said state agencies should look to increase their own staffing numbers if they aim to help the timber industry increase its production.

Many foresters noted that some regions no longer have the lumber mill capacity to process the wood Trump is directing the feds to harvest. Upthegrove said Trump’s orders take an “if you build it, they will come” approach. But he noted that companies may be unwilling to invest in building more mills to fulfill Trump’s plan, given how often his actions have been overturned by the courts.

Oregon officials offered a similar assessment.

“The backdrop is the mill closures and mill curtailment happening in Oregon,” Sullivan-Astor said. “These executive orders perhaps present a first step, but the private sector would need more certainty, because it would require a significant investment [to increase mill capacity].”

In Wyoming, Norris said the state is committed to reviving its mill infrastructure and workforce.

“We’re going to do our job; we’re going to make wood available to industry,” she said.

Trump’s plan to scale up timber production coincides with his trade war with Canada. The U.S. imports about 30% of its softwood lumber from Canada, primarily for use in construction. Smith said American companies can increase domestic production. He noted that federal lands currently only produce about 6% to 8% of the nation’s timber supply.

Brooks, of the hardwood lumber group, agreed that the industry can produce more domestic wood. But he said Trump’s tariffs have hurt his sector, because hardwood products get shipped back and forth across the border for processing.

Meanwhile, several state leaders said Trump’s cuts to the Forest Service could limit the agency’s capacity to fight wildfires, leading to conflagrations that burn the very trees they’re planning to harvest.

Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at abrown@stateline.org.

This article was first published by Stateline, part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com.