The United States Forest Service (USFS) has proposed new regulations that could complicate efforts to manage wildfire risks and forest health. In response, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued a statement criticizing the proposal.

"Today's announcement proposing to restrict responsible timber harvesting in so-called old-growth forests is another example of this administration rejecting science and prioritizing an out-of-touch environmentalist agenda," Westerman said. "While the Biden administration has failed to define an old-growth forest, all forests would be protected if the Forest Service focused on its mission of managing the lands it controls. Instead, they’ve taken a partisan, unscientific direction, wasting precious time and resources."

Westerman emphasized that overgrown forests pose significant wildfire risks and argued that active forest management is essential for mitigating these dangers. "As its overgrown forests turn to tinderboxes, the Forest Service should be focused on active forest management to mitigate wildfire risk, curb diseases, and give land managers critical tools for success," he stated. "Unfortunately, the USFS’ misguided action will further restrict badly needed forest management efforts, taking a vital tool out of the hands of the land managers who need them most."

The USFS published a draft Environmental Impact Statement in the Federal Register today for a proposed national old-growth forest plan amendment. This amendment aims to alter all 128 existing forest management plans and may limit active forest management efforts nationwide.

The proposal aligns with Executive Order 14072 from the Biden administration, which seeks to change how old-growth forests and grasslands are managed across federal lands. This could potentially restrict timber harvests on approximately 32 million acres of federal land.

Critics argue that imposing additional restrictions during an ongoing wildfire crisis is unwise and should be reconsidered.