Department Of Agriculture Seeks To Increase Timber Production By Designating An Emergency Situation On National Forest System Lands

The Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, released a memorandum detailing the actions that she has directed the Forest Service to take in response to the president’s Executive Order,

Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.

According to her memorandum, Rollins made an Emergency Situation Determination (ESD) under section 40807 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This ESD encompasses 66,940,000 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands rated as very high or high wildfire risk that were determined to be an emergency situation as defined by IIJA. In addition, she determined that the 78,800,000 acres of NFS lands designated under Section 602 of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA), that are experiencing declining forest health, increased tree mortality over the next 15 years, insect or disease infestation, or trees posing an imminent risk to public health, infrastructure and safety, are an emergency situation as defined in the IIJA. In total, this ESD designates 112,646,000 acres of NFS lands as an IIJA emergency situation, which is 59 percent of all NFS lands.

“The Forest Service may carry out authorized emergency actions after an ESD is declared to achieve relief from threats to public health and safety, critical infrastructure, and/or mitigation of threats to natural resources on NFS lands. These actions will improve the durability, resilience and resistance to fire, insects and disease within national forests and grasslands across the National Forest System. To be eligible to use this authority, at least 50 percent of the treatment areas supporting this authorized emergency action must be within the designated areas,” stated Rollins in the memorandum.

According to the memorandum, the Forest Service, within designated areas, shall deploy, or continue to deploy, other emergency authorities including but not limited to, emergency and direct hire authorities, expedited grant and agreement authorities or mechanisms, including with Tribes, exemptions, waivers, expanded inclusions and expedited mechanisms for emergency programs on joint efforts with USDA agencies and Tribes, and expedited permitting, certification and qualification processes as defined in Forest Service directives or as directed by the Chief.

This memorandum is taking aim at increasing domestic jobs and prosperity, increasing economic independence and protecting the United States’ national security, as the Forest Service issues new or updated guidance to increase timber production, decrease the time to offer timber supply and increase certainty in future timber supply. The Forest Service will also streamline, where allowable by law, all processes related to timber production.

Rollins stated in the memorandum, “The Forest Service will work with State and local partners and federally recognized Tribes to collaboratively align with their respective priorities. Many States and Tribes have Forest Action Plans that prioritize critical treatment needs, and this memo directs the Forest Service to work with States and Tribes to also prioritize these areas and projects.”

By releasing this memorandum, the Agriculture Secretary intends to improve the internal management of the Department of Agriculture and to assure the implementation of the president’s Executive Order.