The National Active Forest Management Strategy aims to increase timber harvest by 25 percent, reduce wildfire risk, and support rural jobs.
A $200 million plan to expand logging in national forests was announced May 29 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a bid to grow timber supply, improve forest health, and bolster rural economies.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement that the money will launch the Forest Service’s National Active Forest Management Strategy, which will raise annual timber harvests on federal land by 25 percent, targeting 4 billion board feet by the 2028 fiscal year.
Officials say predictable, long-term contracts will provide mills and loggers the certainty needed to invest in equipment and jobs.
“President Trump is committed to cutting red tape, rolling back burdensome regulations and unleashing the potential of America’s abundant natural resources,“ Rollins said in a statement. ”We are doing just that at USDA with this announcement to invest in timber production. This is a win for consumers who will see better prices with American grown products, and a win for forest management which will help keep our forests safer and reduce wildfire risk.”
President Donald Trump signed on March 1 an executive order, titled “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production,” which directs federal agencies to “eliminate all undue delays” and treat timber as critical to national and economic security. “Timber production is essential for crucial human activities like construction and energy production,” the order states.
The USDA strategy emphasizes tools such as Good Neighbor Authority agreements with states and tribes and integrated resource contracts that can run 10 years or longer. It also prioritizes emerging wood products—notably cross-laminated timber, touted for rivaling steel in strength—and markets for low-value biomass that is often left in the woods.
USDA officials say more active management will thin overly dense stands that feed destructive wildfires, while the added timber volume should ease construction-grade lumber shortages that drove up homebuilding costs in recent years. The Forest Service estimates the initiative will support jobs “from the woods to the mill” and lessen dependence on imports.
By Chase Smith
