The U.S. Agriculture Department is opening up millions of acres of national forests for timber production under an executive order that President Donald Trump signed last month.
The Secretary of Agriculture has declared an emergency situation in almost 60% of the country’s forested lands. That includes the three national forests in Michigan.
Federal law allows the department to declare an emergency to address public health and safety concerns. The USDA says federal forests are in a crisis due to risk of disease and wildfire.
Almost 67 million acres of U.S. Forest Service lands are at high or very high risk of wildfire, according to a 2023 report. Most of that land is out west.
Almost 79 million are at risk from insects and disease, according the USDA memo. About 34 million acres are at risk of both.
The map below shows how much of the country's national forests are included in the order.
The memo circulated on Thursday includes measures meant to manage wildfire risk, like clearing dead or damaged trees. It also prioritizes increasing domestic timber production on federal land.
About 30% of forested land in the United States is owned by the federal government, according to the National Association of State Foresters. Most of the nation’s forests are owned by private landowners.
