1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

The Trump administration's decision to open up over half of national forest lands to increased logging is deeply concerning. Removing critical environmental protections and fast-tracking timber production will have devastating consequences for our forests, wildlife habitats, and efforts to combat climate change. Prioritizing short-term profits over long-term sustainability is shortsighted and reckless. Logging operations, especially on this massive scale, will degrade forest health, increase wildfire risks, and irreparably damage these invaluable natural resources that play a vital role in carbon sequestration and mitigating climate impacts. We cannot afford to sacrifice our national forests, which provide essential ecosystems services and are critical carbon sinks, in pursuit of an unsustainable logging agenda. This policy runs counter to scientific evidence and undermines progress made to protect old-growth forests and combat environmental degradation. I urge you to strongly oppose this misguided directive and uphold robust environmental safeguards for our public lands. We must prioritize conservation, sustainable forestry practices, and science-based policymaking to protect our natural heritage for current and future generations. The risks of unchecked timber extraction are simply too high.