'Wildly unpopular': Trump slammed after opening 30% of US National Forest land to logging
AlterNet2 days
Trump Rescinding Rule Protecting 59M Forest Acres
Above: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee in May 2025. Image copyright: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
This rule has been a disaster for Western communities, blocking essential forest management that could prevent catastrophic wildfires. These overgrown, unhealthy forests are ticking time bombs that endanger lives and property. The federal government has been tying the hands of local forest managers, but rescinding the rule will restore jobs, boost American timber production, and allow proper forest thinning.
Democratic narrative
This reckless decision sacrifices America's last wild forests for corporate profits, threatening pristine habitats that store massive amounts of carbon and provide clean drinking water to millions. Destroying these areas for short-term logging gains is environmental vandalism. The rule already allows firefighting access, making wildfire prevention claims a transparent excuse for industry giveaways.