The U.S. Forest Service has unveiled a plan to boost logging across federal lands in the Pacific Northwest. The initiative aims to mitigate wildfire risks, control the spread of wildfires, and breathe new life into rural economies by increasing timber supply. This proposal marks a major revision to the Northwest Forest Plan, a framework that has regulated forest management across 38,000 square miles in Oregon, Washington, and California since 1994. Originally crafted to curb destructive logging and protect vulnerable species like the northern spotted owl, the plan has now evolved in response to a changing climate.
Federal officials argue that wildfire conditions and increasing frequency of wildfires, driven by climate change, necessitate a more proactive approach to forest management. This proactive strategy is crucial to minimizing the impact of wildfires, which have grown increasingly destructive in recent years. The proposed plan also aims to provide a reliable supply of timber, offering an economic boost to rural communities that have faced economic decline since the drop in logging activity during the 1990s.
The draft environmental study suggests that timber harvests could rise by at least 33% and potentially more than 200%, which would lead to a corresponding rise in timber-related employment. Over the past decade, the 17 national forests covered by the Northwest Forest Plan have produced an average of 445 million board feet of timber annually.
A significant change under the new proposal would be raising the age threshold for logging from 80 years to 120 years, allowing for more extensive thinning. Officials argue that removing younger, fire-prone trees could foster conditions favorable for the growth of larger, fire-resistant old-growth trees. In addition, the updated plan calls for closer cooperation with Native American tribes, whose traditional knowledge of forest stewardship was largely excluded when the original 1994 plan was implemented.
Not everyone supports the changes. Environmental advocates, such as Oregon Wild, have voiced concerns that the new direction could undermine protections for old-growth forests and threatened species. The timing of the proposal, just before a presidential transition, also raised suspicions about the Forest Service’s motivations. During the Trump administration, there were efforts to open West Coast forest areas to more logging by reducing habitat protections for species like the spotted owl—a move that was later reversed by the Biden administration.
The Forest Service has opened a 120-day public comment period for the proposal, with a final decision expected by early 2026. Officials maintain that the changes will strike a balance between wildfire mitigation, economic development, and environmental protection, adapting forest management to better align with current challenges posed by climate change.