April 4, 2025 HFHC News Round Up
Some USDA RIF plans take shape as department warns employees of major cuts (Govt Executive)
The Agriculture Department is warning its employees it will soon identify “duplicative” or “redundant” functions to eliminate, including through the closure of offices throughout the Washington region. The changes will result in widespread layoffs across the department of nearly 100,000 employees, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a message to staff on Tuesday, who issued the cautionary note to encourage workers to voluntarily leave government. Like several other agencies in recent days, USDA reopened the window to take paid leave through September before separating from federal service. The so-called “deferred resignation program” was first offered to virtually all federal employees in February and around 75,000 workers accepted the deal. In the coming weeks, USDA will be “optimizing and reducing the size of the workforce to become more efficient,” Rollins said. She made clear the department cannot offer “full assurance regarding which positions will remain—or where they will be located—after USDA’s restructuring.” The elimination of duplicative functions will focus on business support roles, the secretary said, and eliminating “unnecessary management layers.” The department will relocate employees away from Washington to be “closer to the farmers, ranchers, foresters and consumers we serve,” she added.
In Win for NAHB, Canadian Lumber Exempt from Trump’s Global Reciprocal Tariffs (NAHB)
President Trump on April 2 announced he will impose a 10% baseline tariff on all of America’s trading partners, with the exception of Canada and Mexico, and elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that will run as high as 50%. For example, the White House says South Korea charges an average tariff rate of 50% on U.S. goods and the U.S. will now charge a discounted reciprocal tariff rate of 25% on South Korean products entering the country. The tariff exceptions for Canada and Mexico amount to a major win for NAHB, as Canada accounts for roughly 85% of all U.S. softwood lumber imports and accounts for nearly a quarter of the available supply in the U.S. Further exempting Mexican products is also a big win given major construction cost drivers such as gypsum, concrete and near-shored appliances.
Local builder says U.S. has means to sustain its own lumber needs (WREN)
While Thursday was a stomach churning day on Wall Street, a local builder is weighing in on lumber. Currently, Canadian lumber is exempt from tariffs that President Trump has imposed on that nation. It’s unclear whether the baseline 10% “reciprocal” tariff will be added to lumber on Saturday. Domenic Cortese, host of Hammertime Radio on WBEN and President of Cortese Construction, describes what is happening now is more of a reaction than reality. Here in Buffalo, Canadian lumber imports are about 60% of the consumption. Cortese said It’s high because of our proximity to the border. Canadian lumber is something that Western New York builders have always taken advantage of. But it’s not a necessity. “The truth is that the American economy has the ability to sustain its own lumber needs,” said Cortese. “I think that’s probably going to be the end result here, as we become more self sufficient,” he added.
Timber groups urge revamp of NW Forest Plan following Pres. Trump’s push for more logging (KCBY)
Timber organizations are calling for action on the Northwest Forest Plan after President Donald Trump issued an executive order for the immediate expansion of American lumber production. This comes as the U.S. Forest Service considers an amendment to the plan that aims to address fire resilience, economic opportunities, and updated guidance on conserving old growth, with a public comment period that ended in March. Following the executive order from the president, Douglas Timber Operators, a local forest products organization, issued a letter to the U.S. Forest Service calling for a full revision of the Northwest Forest Plan that was initially written in 1994. “The Northwest Forest Plan intended to have a basic level of timber harvest, while conserving large areas of so-called old growth forests for the spotted owl, Executive Director Matt Hill said. “The reality of the plan was that the targets intended for timber harvests… never materialized, We’ve never, here on the Umpqua National Forest, achieved the Northwest Forest Plan targets, and instead of conserving old forest for spotted owls, we’ve been burning them at a rate far beyond anyone had ever imagined.”
No stranger to wildfires, a Helene-ravaged WNC now faces a complicated future battling them (Blue Ridge Now)
When fighting wildfires, crews typically rely on rivers and creeks as natural fire lines. If the blaze can’t jump the water, it can’t spread. But when Tropical Storm Helene ripped through Western North Carolina last September, log jam after log jam flowed down the region’s flooded rivers. Once the waters receded, the log jams dried, transforming each into what Lisa Jennings, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service, described as “a land bridge of fuel.”…Aerial surveys conducted last year showed that Helene damaged 822,000 acres of Western North Carolina timberland, according to a state damage appraisal published in October. The number of windblown trees Helene sheared from the rain-soaked soil was already difficult to comprehend. In Mitchell County alone, wind gusts knocked down an estimated 100,000 trees.
Heinrich, Murkowski Legislation to Promote Tribal Forest Management Passes Out of Committee (Heinrich Press)
The 2004 Tribal Forest Protection Act was intended to protect Tribal forest lands and resources from various threats, including wildfires, by allowing Tribes to enter into agreements with the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and carry out forest management activities on federal lands that are “bordering or adjacent to” lands under Tribal jurisdiction. In practical terms, the “bordering or adjacent to” requirement has proven to be too restrictive. This requirement does not adequately capture the sites, features, cultural landscapes, sacred places or objects with cultural value to Tribes that may be located on federal land that does not border Tribal land. The Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act corrects the oversight and expands the original language to enable Tribes to help restore important areas within their ancestral lands, even if their modern lands are not nearby. The legislation promotes Tribal forest management activities — including cultural burning, thinning, and restoration projects to enhance forest health and resilience. Through these sustainable forest management practices, economic development and new jobs can be created within Tribal communities.
New Report Shows Significant Socioeconomic Benefits of Large-scale Restoration Projects in Redwood National and State Parks Region (CA Parks)
A new report released today by Save the Redwoods League and California State Parks reveals significant socioeconomic benefits of the Redwoods Rising and ‘O Rew Redwoods Gateway programs to Northern California counties around Redwood National and State Parks. These redwood ecosystem restoration programs bring much-needed revenue, quality jobs and critical environmental conservation benefits to the region, driving economic growth in an economically disadvantaged area of California.
Federal judge nixes BLM’s planned Oregon logging project (E&E News PM)
A federal judge has struck down a commercial logging project covering more than 16,000 acres in northwest Oregon, ruling that the Bureau of Land Management did not properly analyze impacts to imperiled species like the threatened northern spotted owl. The order issued this week by Senior Judge Ann Aiken of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon sides with conservation groups that sued BLM in 2022 to block the tree-thinning project, concluding the approved plan violated the National Environmental Policy Act. Aiken gave BLM and the conservation groups challenging the project — Cascadia Wildlands and its attorneys at the Western Environmental Law Center — 30 days to devise a remedy to address the flaws outlined in the order and to submit it to the court. BLM has argued that the project — which included trees as old as 130 years in an area that covers seven watersheds and threatened species such as the marbled murrelet and coho salmon — is needed to restore “ecosystem diversity to late successional forests,” according to court documents. (Subscription Required)
Colorado Democrats urge bipartisan support for improved firefighter working conditions (The Hill)
Two Colorado Democrats are urging renewed bipartisan support for legislation that would seek to improve working conditions for federal firefighters. Rep. Joe Neguse and Sen. Michael Bennet on Thursday called for the advancement of Tim’s Act, a bill that would overhaul wild land firefighter compensation and benefits. “This workforce is underpaid and undervalued, despite putting their lives on the line to protect our homes, families, and communities. Unconscionable,” said Neguse, co-chair of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, in a statement. “We’re calling on Democrats and Republicans alike to take decisive action to implement much-needed reforms in how we recognize their sacrifices, and join us in championing Tim’s Act,” the congressman added.
William Perry Pendley: Trump right on federal land sale plan (Washington Examiner)
Last month, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner penned a thoughtful op-ed in the Wall Street Journal advocating the use of excess federal land to address the nation’s housing crisis. President Donald Trump has long argued for using federal lands for this purpose. That’s especially true when it comes to the American West, where federal lands dominate. Last week, however, Patagonia’s CEO Ryan Gellert decried the Secretaries’ proposal as “risky,” “specious,” and one that threatens “dismantling and destroying the places we’ve loved for generations.” Patagonia sells high-end outdoor clothing and gear. Gellert also opposes using federal lands to discover, develop, and deliver energy resources owned by the people. He fails to understand the balanced approach that Congress, to which the Constitution entrusts sole authority for “property belonging to the United States,” has embraced in its treatment of federal lands.
Energy providers look to set precedent for wildfire liability law (MTFP)
Montana lawmakers are considering legislation that would amend the legal framework for people seeking damages over utility-caused wildfires. Legislative records show the bill was drafted by NorthWestern Energy. Montana’s electric cooperatives said they were also involved in drafting. During House Bill 490’s 90-minute hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 26, opponents of the legislation argued it goes too far in shirking utilities’ liability and ultimately makes it too difficult to seek legal recourse in the wake of utility-caused wildfires. Those who spoke against the bill included insurance companies, environmental groups and victims of the 2021 West Wind Fire that devastated the town of Denton and surrounding areas after being sparked by a NorthWestern energy electric line.
$6B at stake in Oregon wildfire case, PacifiCorp says (KGW)
PacifiCorp’s appeal in a class-action lawsuit that could cost it billions of dollars is now on file with the Oregon Court of Appeals. The Portland-based electric utility’s 129-page opening brief, delivered to the court on Tuesday, comes nearly two years after a Multnomah County jury found it grossly negligent and reckless in contributing to four Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon. The appeal challenges numerous decisions by trial Judge Steffan Alexander and seeks to overturn the liability verdict and judgments that have flowed from it in subsequent damages-phase trials. It was filed just a day after a fourth damages trial, involving seven plaintiffs, added around $48 million to the toll against PacifiCorp. That brought damages in the case to more than $300 million involving about 50 plaintiffs.
California Logger Is Helping Sierra Pacific Salvage Timber (TimberWest Magazine)
Dan Arens and Son Inc., a logging contractor in northern California, is a key business partner to Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI). In recent years the loggers have been helping SPI salvage timber on forestland ravaged by fire. The Arens family has been in the logging business for more than 75 years, after Ken Arens bought a logging truck and began hauling logs in the Redding area in the early 1950s. His sons, Dan and Larry, worked for their father until the mid-1980s. After 10 years of learning the ropes, they struck out on their own. They bought some used equipment from their father. Fast forward to 2004, when Dan Arens and Son Inc. was established
A “typical” day as a burn boss (if there is one) (USDA Forest Service)
It’s 8 a.m. Cory Carlson is onsite and ready to start his workday as a district fire management officer in the Chino Valley Ranger District on the Prescott National Forest in Prescott, Arizona. On days when a prescribed fire is planned, he may take on the role of burn boss – a crucial figure in all aspects of the operation, responsible for conducting prescribed fires to protect both the land and the local community. From carrying out the elements of the burn plan, to liaising with local partner agencies, Carlson’s day is an orchestration of skill, precision and collaboration. Carlson’s current role is part of a legacy that dates back over a century to one of the largest and most devastating fire events in U.S. history, The Big Blowup, also known as the Big Burn.
Barr Reintroduces White Oak Resilience Act to Support Bourbon Industry (Barr Press)
Congressman Andy Barr (KY-06) has reintroduced the White Oak Resilience Act, bipartisan legislation that promotes the long-term health of the American white oak—a keystone species essential to forest ecosystems and a critical component of Kentucky’s signature bourbon industry. Without decisive action, the American white oak population is projected to decline substantially within the next 10 to 15 years, with even steeper losses anticipated in the decades ahead. Congressman Barr’s bill takes a proactive approach to combat this threat, emphasizing collaboration between federal agencies, the private sector, and land grant institutions.
Conserving the White Oak Tree: Critical for timber and distilling industries (National Science Foundation)
A group of researchers from the University of Kentucky, The University of Tennessee and Indiana University, including those supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, have collaborated with scientists from the U.S. Forest Service and others to produce the first complete genome for the white oak (Quercus alba), a tree that provides large amounts of timber and is the primary species used in barrels for aging spirits.
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