LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently issued a directive that could significantly alter the landscape of federal forests, including those in Michigan, home to approximately 2.9 million acres of national forest lands. This order from the USDA Secretary is meant to speed up clearing forested areas to lower wildfire risks and help forests stay healthier.
In March, President Trump issued an Executive Order named “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.” Through this order, he directed the USDA secretary to boost timber output by streamlining environmental reviews and simplifying federal permitting processes, pushing back against overreaching Federal policies that he claims have “have prevented full utilization of these resources” and left the United States “reliant on foreign producers.”
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In an April 3rd memo released by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, she states that President Trump’s Executive Order highlights the importance of timber production and how forest management and wildfire risk reduction projects can save American lives and communities.
Emergency Situation determination targets millions of acres of high-risk national forest lands.
In her memo, Secretary Rollins created an “Emergency Situation Determination,” which encompasses 66,940,000 acres of NFS lands rated as very high or high wildfire risk that are determined to be an emergency situation. A map out of the USDA shows parts of Michigan that would be affected including a large portion of the western Upper Peninsula around the Ottawa National Forest along with several smaller sections in the eastern U.P. and in Northern Lower Michigan.
Rollins said in a statement released last week, “Healthy forests require work, and right now, we’re facing a national forest emergency. We have an abundance of timber at high risk of wildfires in our National Forests. I am proud to follow the bold leadership of President Trump by empowering forest managers to reduce constraints and minimize the risks of fire, insects, and disease so that we can strengthen American timber industry and further enrich our forests with the resources they need to thrive.”
USDA plan sparks debate.
In Michigan, where forests play a big role in both the environment and the economy, the new forest directive is stirring up quite a debate. Supporters say clearing out overgrown brush and dead trees is key to preventing massive wildfires and will make forests healthier in the long run. But critics worry that clearing too much could hurt wildlife and throw nature off balance in ways we don’t fully understand yet.
With so much land now flagged for emergency moves, Michigan is stuck in a tug-of-war between saving nature and using it. With every tree chopped down, it’s either a win for safety or a blow to the environment, depending on who you ask around the state.
