Timber Expansion in YOUR forests

A wildly unpopular idea becomes policy

Thanks to the important fact-based statements of the Democrats that serve on the House Natural Resources Committee, and to the testimony of the only witness on the expert panel at the hearings who doesn’t litigate on behalf of industry, my last post was a visual readout of the recent hearings on the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act- two highly effective, 50-year old conservation laws designed to stem the tide of the sixth mass extinction we find ourselves in.

Last Monday, 47’s administration took another big step in the Project 2025 playbook- an executive order to immediately expander timber production in OUR forests- which we know is the end goal all their other actions on the environment since inauguration: declare energy emergency to get exemptions from conservation laws for energy projects —> gut federal departments that situate experts on publicly owned land to monitor animals and habitat —> open up that habitat to industry.

As Will Pattiz writes, “And that’s the point. This isn’t about budgets or efficiency. It’s about starving the National Park Service, breaking it, and then using that dysfunction as an excuse to hand public lands over to private interests.”

He explains that this is how public institutions get dismantled:

1. Starve it – Slash funding and staffing until the system can’t function properly.

2. Break it – When parks start falling apart, use that as proof that the government can’t manage them.

3. Privatize it – Push for “public-private partnerships” that give corporate interests control over campgrounds, visitor centers, services, and more.

The American public like REAAAALLLLY doesn’t want this. And also- as Pattiz explains in another excellent post on the numbers of it all- it doesn’t make sense, because “the truth is outdoor recreation generates more revenue than oil, gas, and mining combined—and it’s not even close. It’s a $1.1 trillion industry—fueling 7.6 million jobs, sustaining thousands of small businesses, and keeping rural communities alive. Every year, our government hands over land to industries that make less money while doing more damage. And they know it.”

Here’s what I’ve been doing amidst my intense grief and panic:

1. Calling my reps to tell them I really really care about public land, the MMPA and the ESA.

2. I’ve joined the National Parks Conservation Association, and the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

3. And I’m obsessively consuming expert input on these issues. To that end, I’m speaking with Daniel Rohlf this week and will give a visual report-out of our conversation later in the week.

STAY STRONG. STAY LOUD.

Perrin