May 28, 2025 HFHC News Round Up
Before the Burn: The Economic Benefits of Fuel-Reduction Treatments in Wildfire-Prone Forests (SSRN)
A century of wildfire suppression policies has led to the build-up of combustible fuel loads in forests, increasing the size, severity, and costs of wildfires. This study explores whether fuel-reduction treatments reduce wildfire suppression costs. Focusing on wildfires igniting on U.S. Forest Service lands in the Pacific Northwest, we leverage exogenous variation in protections for the Northern Spotted Owl that unintentionally restrict fuel treatments. Conservative estimates indicate that four to seven dollars are saved in suppression costs for every dollar spent on fuel treatments. Our results highlight the potential for reforming environmental protections to achieve economic savings and conservation benefits.
Meet the Senate’s bipartisan wildfire-fighting duo (Semafor)
Fourteen new senators have been sworn in since the 2024 election, replacing departing bipartisan dealmakers. Senators are trying to rebuild cross-party relationships following that turnover, and Sheehy and Padilla show that it’s possible. Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL serving in his first elected office; Padilla was an engineer before grinding his way through California politics to the Senate. The two met when Padilla spoke to new senators, just as wildfires were wreaking havoc on Los Angeles. Sheehy, who founded an aerial firefighting company in Montana, was an obvious partner for Padilla. “If we can’t agree on literally making sure that cities don’t burn to the ground, then our republic is probably lost, you know?” Sheehy said. Semafor spoke to both senators about their partnership and the half-dozen bills they are working on together, which address forest management, wildfire coordination and readiness. This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
As Trump comes after research, Forest Service scientists keep working (High Country News)
The research and development team at the U.S. Forest Service employs about 1,500 people full-time, a small but mighty faction inside an agency that, until recently, was 35,000 strong. The research it conducts spans everything from managing visitors at recreation hotspots to understanding the pulse of life and land on the 193 million acres the agency manages. Since President Donald Trump took office, his barrage of executive actions in the name of curbing waste have imperiled the basic functions of federal agencies. At the Forest Service, the result is a climate of fear and uncertainty that’s stymieing the scientists working to fulfill the agency’s mission — sustaining the nation’s forests and grasslands for the public’s long-term benefit — just as the summer research field season ramps up.
US Supreme Court spurns Native American challenge to Rio Tinto’s Arizona copper project (Reuters)
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to hear a Native American group’s bid based on religious rights to block Rio Tinto (RIO.AX), opens new tab and BHP (BHP.AX), opens new tab from gaining control of Arizona land needed to build one of the world’s largest copper mines – a project situated on land long used for Apache sacred rituals. The justices turned away an appeal by Apache Stronghold, an advocacy group comprised of Arizona’s San Carlos Apache tribe and conservationists, of a lower court’s ruling that allowed the federal government to swap acreage with the mining companies for their Resolution Copper project.
An 11-day NEPA review? Interior just did that (Greenwire)
The Trump administration on Friday signed off on a uranium mine in Utah after just 11 days of review, a move that critics argue is illegal and undercuts the nation’s bedrock environmental laws. The Interior Department approved an updated plan — originally filed in 1981 — for the Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium mine in eastern Utah as part of the Trump administration’s process for fast-tracking mining, oil and gas projects. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a release declared the decision “groundbreaking” and a “first-of-its-kind expedited review” that clears the path for developing critical minerals amid a national energy emergency. “By streamlining the review process for critical mineral projects like Velvet-Wood, we’re reducing dependence on foreign adversaries and ensuring our military, medical and energy sectors have the resources they need to thrive,” said Burgum. (Subscription Required)
Cardiorespiratory effects of wildfire smoke particles can persist for months, even after a fire has ended (Medical Xpress)
Being exposed to lingering fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke can have health effects for up to three months afterwards, well beyond the couple of days that previous studies have identified, and the exposure can occur even after the fires have ended. Being exposed to lingering fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke can have health effects for up to three months afterwards, well beyond the couple of days that previous studies have identified, and the exposure can occur even after the fires have ended.
Slowly dying trees impact forest recovery post-wildfires, PSU study of 2020 fires finds (PSU)
Across the western U.S., wildfires are becoming larger and more severe — and even trees that initially survive are dying in subsequent years, making it harder for forests to regenerate, according to new research from Portland State University. Building on previous research exploring fire refugia — the green islands of live trees that remain after forest fires — researchers in PSU’s Global Environmental Change lab mapped annual changes in the extent of live tree cover up to three years after the unprecedented 2020 Labor Day fires in Oregon’s western Cascades. The study, published in Landscape Ecology, is believed to be the first study of its kind to quantify changes in the spatial distribution and attributes of fire refugia as a result of delayed tree mortality. The researchers say that if a fire event doesn’t immediately kill a tree, there is potential for delayed fire effects to cause trees to die in subsequent years, including direct burn injuries as well as a combination of direct and indirect effects related to climate, insects, pathogens and heatwaves. Under warmer and drier conditions, both immediate and delayed fire effects are expected to proliferate into the future.
Douglas-Fir Tussock Moths Reemerge Near Taos (USDA Forest Service)
If you’ve driven the High Road to Taos lately, you might’ve noticed a change between Pot Creek, N.M., and U.S. Hill. Hundreds of trees are brown or looking dead. You’ll see them atop ridges, directly along the highway and, of course, if you step deeper into the forest. This is the result of a Douglas-fir tussock moth outbreak that was first observed in 2024, with entomologists noting their reemergence in late May 2025. It’s a native insect, essentially doing its thing, but there are safety concerns when you’re around them. Below we’ll cover the basics, important safety information and more.
Idaho’s Role in Federal Forest Management | Dustin Miller, Dept. of Lands (Idaho Reports Podcast)
Gov. Brad Little signed an executive order last week directing the Idaho Department of Lands to collaborate with the U.S. Forest Service in support of the Trump administration’s goals of increased timber production and improved forest health. Associate producer Logan Finney sat down with Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller to ask what that relationship will look like.
Fulcher: The Time to Encourage Local Land Management Is Now, Here’s Why (Gem State Patriot)
In our great state of Idaho, God has graciously blessed us with the vast natural resources we need to be self-sufficient and prosperous, but we must have governance that allows us access to our resources. After seven years in Congress, it is clear to me what does not work—depending on the federal government to wisely manage the lands within the borders of Idaho, and putting our trust in adversarial nations to provide necessary critical minerals and materials. A case in point, wildfires scorched nearly one million acres across our beautiful Idaho in 2024, leading to an estimated $131 million loss in timber sales. This level of devastation not only puts significant financial strain on our local economies but also forces the federal government to step in with costly compensation programs like Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT). To make matters worse, our federal landlord currently has a growing $100+ billion backlog of unaddressed needs on our federally managed lands, ranging from forest management to wildfire prevention and infrastructure maintenance.
Governor Gianforte, DNRC Recognize May as Wildfire Awareness Month (Gianforte Press)
During each fire season since Gov. Gianforte took office, DNRC, under the direction of Director Amanda Kaster, kept 95 percent of fires under its direct protection to 10 acres or fewer. DNRC’s ability to respond safely and aggressively to wildfires was bolstered by increased preparedness resources secured through House Bill 883. The bill, passed during the 2023 legislative session, allocated $60 million over the biennium to expand the state’s wildfire preparedness and forest management efforts. Investments include improved technology to help identify fire starts after lightning storms to extinguish fires when they are small as well as the strategic placement of increased fire equipment across the state to ensure faster, more efficient response times than ever before.
Oregon wildfire map takes a detour (News-Review)
A repeal of Oregon’s wildfire risk map is still on track, kind of like getting off the freeway and taking Highway 99 while driving slowly but still in the same general direction. Multiple bills in the state legislature are addressing issues created by the risk map, but two of the bills were parked in another committee over the long weekend. In a contentious hearing Thursday before the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment, the most comprehensive of those proposals was voted out of committee, but on a sideways course to another committee rather than onto the house floor for final passage.
New Montana law aims to incentivize new wood products facilities (KPAX)
A law passed during the 2025 legislative session could provide $6 million in low-interest rate loans for an entity that wants to start up a wood products facility. The measure could impact Seeley Lake, where Pyramid Mountain Lumber once operated. “I think the likelihood of you know, somebody coming here, obviously, there’d be opportunity at other mills as well, but they really like the, the ability to source timber from this site,” said Pyramid Mountain Lumber owner Todd Johnson. Johnson says the new law would incentivize anyone looking to open a new facility by providing funding for one portion of the total for opening a new mill. “I think the, the main designs behind it were so that it would allow somebody to secure a site. Six million dollars would go a long ways towards securing, you know, a site here in Montana,” said Johnson.
From Timber Prices to Carbon Storage: Unpacking CLT’s Climate Impact (E+E Leader)
Global efforts to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are accelerating across industries, and the construction sector is no exception. With buildings responsible for a significant portion of global emissions, sustainable alternatives have come under intense scrutiny. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) has emerged as a promising substitute that not only reduces the carbon footprint associated with conventional materials like steel and concrete, but also contributes to long-term carbon storage. However, as CLT gains traction in mid- and high-rise construction, its full environmental impact—both positive and negative—must be understood.
Central Linn School Board hears about forestry grants (New Era)
Teacher Darrelle Parker was recognized for her forestry and natural resources program by the Central Linn School Board at its meeting on May 19. Board members also heard updates on student achievement, the conversion of an unused locker room into a wrestling practice space, and the fact that there will be no summer school this year. Parker, who teaches science and forestry/natural resources, received a grant from the Oregon Natural Resources Education fund, presented by ONRE representative Joe Schaefer. The fund, established in 2001, supports programs that teach students the technical aspects of forest management and highlight career opportunities in the industry.
Market Report: Signs of Strength in a Shifting Wood Products Market (Freres Wood)
Wood products markets continue to ebb and flow. A couple weeks of increased volumes and pricing strength are followed by muted volumes and slack pricing. We always hope for strong markets heading into spring, but it typically takes a bit longer than we anticipate for summer markets to develop. Hopefully the coming sunshine will bring a bit of enthusiasm along with a dose of vitamin D. It isn’t surprising that markets are right on the edge of good and bad, considering the policy uncertainty we are currently facing. Federal Reserve interest rate policy, federal forest management policy, inflation rates, potential tariffs, and the impact of re-shoring American manufacturing all add to current uncertainty. Throw in technological disruption due to AI and automation, and we can have a market brimming with potential investment, or one that’s heading to a cliff.
**Miss a day? A 20-day archive of the HFHC News Round Up is available here.**
