Citing recent increases in timber sales from the national forests, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told the Forest Service to “identify new opportunities to increase America’s energy dominance and reduce reliance on foreign countries for critical minerals.” In a memo to the Forest Service chief, Perdue also said livestock grazing should be regarded as an essential part of management of the grasslands that are part of the 193-million-acre National Forest System.
“I am directing the Forest Service to focus resources on activities that support the productive use of these lands to deliver goods and services efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of our citizens,” said Perdue in the memo to Chief Vicki Christiansen. Perdue said the memo would serve as a blueprint for modernizing the Forest Service’s handling of the national forests.
The Forest Service says its top priority “is to maintain and improve the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of current and future generations.” The multiple uses of the national forests include timber, energy and mineral production; preservation of native plants and animals; recreation; restoration of degraded land; and protection of water quality. There have been myriad disputes over how to balance the sometimes competing goals.
Perdue told the Forest Service to expedite environmental reviews. That would include “time and page limits on the completion of environmental documents, including categorical exemptions, environmental assessments and environmental impact statements.”
To read the memo, click here.