Protect national forests through public input and environmental reviews

The Trump administration's plan to bypass normal environmental reviews and increase logging on over 100 million acres of national forests is deeply concerning. Declaring a state of emergency in domestic timber supply undermines vital protections and public input processes meant to safeguard these precious natural resources. National forests belong to all Americans and play a critical role in preserving biodiversity, protecting wildlife habitats, and mitigating climate change impacts. Expedited logging without proper environmental assessments risks irreparable harm to these invaluable ecosystems. Prioritizing commercial timber interests over conservation threatens to undo decades of progress in sustainable forest management. Furthermore, this sweeping order fails to effectively address the root causes of wildfire risk, which stem from climate change and a buildup of vegetation in fire-prone areas. Removing large, commercially valuable trees does little to reduce that risk. A science-based approach focusing on thinning dense stands of small trees near communities would be a wiser strategy. I urge you to voice strong opposition to this reckless directive that sacrifices long-term environmental health for short-term commercial gain. Our national forests are a shared inheritance that must be preserved through robust public processes, environmental reviews, and sustainable management practices. Cutting forests without proper oversight jeopardizes this invaluable natural legacy.