r/Wildfire • u/NorCalMikey • Mar 02 '25
News (General) Trump signs executive order on forest management
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u/Glass_Ground_7498 Mar 02 '25
So first he fires all the ground pounds. Then increases the timber target. Please explain how this works. Also, there is a limited supply of logging operators and mill capacity. This is just going to change over night?
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u/TaterTeewinot Mar 02 '25
So first he fires all the ground pounds. Then increases the timber target
Yup we now have zero people on my Forest to diagnose, do layout, sling paint etc. We are 100% dead in the water when it comes to getting timber units out.
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u/BACKCUT-DOWNHILL Mar 02 '25
Can’t speak for other states but the timber market in oregon has been in the gutter for the last two years. Mills shutting down and plenty of laid off loggers with the current harvest levels
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u/chromerchase Mar 02 '25
The ground pounds weren’t coming back this year already thanks to Randy’s fiscal acumen.
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u/xXShunDugXx Mar 02 '25
Honestly? I think they just see the profit and the "bloat" separately. " oh this gets us money? Sure!" Seems to be the sentiment behind most decisions
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u/ForestryTechnician Desk Jockey Mar 02 '25
I’m so over this fucking bs. Between the bullshit firing of a lot of good co workers to potential sale of our public lands to fund the idiotic sovereign wealth fund and these fucking emails from Elmo asking what I did last week. They can go suck a big fucking fat one. I’m fucking out.
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u/JayAlexanderBee Mar 02 '25
Fuck this clown and their reckless behavior. They'll get their Nuremberg soon and I can not wait for it.
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u/dougmcclean Mar 03 '25
What's more important, the Bitterroot National Forest or the Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve? Which one is more important to the long-term wealth of this nation?
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u/Rotavela Mar 02 '25
Nature does not care about if someone is left or right. Nature does not care about billionaires or poor people. She’s gonna do what the fuck she wants. Idk if I should be terrified or in awe. I see you ✊
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Mar 02 '25
[deleted]
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u/ForestryTechnician Desk Jockey Mar 02 '25
Honestly really enjoyed this job and the people, save maybe you. I’ve already got interviews with the county and state my guy. Make sure you get your 5 bullet points to daddy and enjoy the RIFs.
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u/LifeRound2 Mar 02 '25
I'm still waiting for any evidence that a single person in this administration knows their ass from a hole in the ground.
After reviewing the EO, it's a bunch of vague wishful thinking. The laws still require compliance, for now.
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u/Horror-Layer-8178 Mar 02 '25
But I thought he fired all the people that can rake the forest
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u/shinsain Mar 02 '25
Well you know we have peasants or something.
Like, can't they rake things when it gets bad or whatever?
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u/CalamitySquirrel Mar 02 '25
Reducing the career federal workforce to privatize government into contacts does not save US money or improve quality. Like a private prison system, tax money went to a company who maximized profits with more inmates per cell. Disolve NASA so Musk can increase his payouts on gov contracts, psh.
Our fed IAs are less likely to be effective without collateral fire boots from other programs to assist. Then the IMT rolls in and the money rolls out to contract company owners while they pay their employees an uncertain "minimum" wage when and if they get the call for a RO. Contract crews can thin a hell of a lot more efficiently than my small crew but the money isnt going into the sawdogs pockets. Same topheavy financial profile.
I'm inclined to let it all burn and corral the public away from danger. Problem is...the Ompaloompa doesn't spend his weekend and winters amongst the trees. He and his aren't advocating for forest health or understand the diminished state of forest product economics. The want it to crash and burn to control the remnants and line deep pockets.
I'm anxious as ever but damn me if I step back and give up my mouse's share of influence.
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u/Temporary-Jello-8074 Mar 02 '25
Fire causing issues for fish and wildlife? The man is completely ignoring the importance of fire for wildlife INCLUDING fish. Fire can cause mass die off, but that’s usually going to be more intense fire. In some circumstances, fire can increase wetland habitual diversity which supports species diversity. Animals are adapted to fire. Plants are too. Plus even more intense fire can help build gravel beds needed by some aquatic species.
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u/ColoRadBro69 Mar 02 '25
If dragons were real he would put one in charge of fire fighting.
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u/FlyingPinkUnicorns Mar 02 '25
This is a joke of an article. Is it just the press release from the White House? They don't even have the full text of the EO
"unleashing" forest management? (no details)
"following this year's devastating Los Angeles wildfires"? (complete unrelated)
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u/On-mountain-time Mar 02 '25
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u/NoRice7751 Mar 02 '25
There are several concerning statements in this EO. First and foremost the idea that there’s an emergency or they mention emergency several times concerning timber production and the ESA and being able to bypass it.
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u/On-mountain-time Mar 02 '25 edited Mar 02 '25
I agree. I'm a FWS biologist and my role is mainly doing FS wildfire risk reduction project consultations. I'm conflicted because for many of our endangered species, catastrophic wildfire is one of the main risks to the conservation of the species. Other species, less so. Even prior to this administration, we've been looking at ways to streamline the consultation process for wildfire risk reduction projects to get more beneficial actions (to our endangered species, overall forest health, and WUI communities) implemented faster. There have been some discussions if wildfire risk reduction projects could/should fall under the "emergency" category where agencies could implement their projects first and consult with us (FWS) after. I haven't been a part of those discussions but most of the people I've talked with agree that these types of projects should not fall under the emergency category. We'll see. I vehemently oppose this administration and have no doubts they would abolish the ESA if they had the power but I'm trying to remain optimistic that the law will allow the conservation of our endangered species while still allowing for fire on the ground to promote healthy forests and reduced risks to WUI communities.
*Edit: I will also state that I work in one of the 10 original wildfire crisis strategy landscapes where wildfire risks are particularly prevalent, and my opinion doesn't necessarily extend to other areas.
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u/NoRice7751 Mar 02 '25
Thanks for your insights on the FWS side. Out of curiosity what kind of projects for reduction of fire are you talking? Thinning? Rx fire?
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u/On-mountain-time Mar 02 '25
It's usually a combination of thinning, Rx, small patchcuts, POD boundaries (kinda aka fuel breaks) and occasional clearcut. In my area, timber production isn't particularly lucrative, so the FS is more concerned with forest health and wildfire risk than getting the cut out to make money.
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u/Prehistory_Buff Mar 02 '25
He's gonna do our timber like he did that water in California, or how he's cutting taxes only to increase the deficit, or how he has bankrupted his own businesses, he wastes other people's money, time and resources and moves on to the next scam. He's the world's stupidest vampire.
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Mar 02 '25
Man I hope all the timber he thinks he’s going to get from our forests fuckin burns to the ground this summer for firing en masse the people who support wildland incidents. FAFO for real.
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u/OGtrippwire Mar 02 '25
And it's a scam that idiots believe it'll lower prices as they'll export it in a hurry if the price is better, they already do for milling.
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u/Awildgarebear Mar 02 '25
I uh.. don't. My house has been too close to wildfires in the last few years.
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Mar 02 '25
My apologies for coming off so crass. Sadly, the reality is that the outlook for this coming fire season is not good, especially if you live in the west. These cuts to the federal workforce who help manage wildfires will absolutely incur collateral damage, such as people losing their homes. May defensible space be ever in your favor.
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Mar 02 '25
And they still plan to RIF the USFS, NPS, and USFW? This will blow up in their faces. Watch them open up hiring after letting all the support staff and militia go.
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u/Row__Jimmy Mar 02 '25
The main driver of the fire problem are small trees that cost more to remove than they are worth. Nobody wants then so they are piled and burned in the forest. This is a lot of money and boots on the ground. Elmo can bring chainsaw and help us out starting Monday 6 am rain or shine.
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Mar 03 '25
So how are they going to market brush targets to the logging industry? I mean if we’re now saying timber harvesting is going to end wildfires, seems like an important fuel group to consider
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u/Upsetty_spagehtti Mar 03 '25
“It’ll make it easier to do thinning” no one wants to pay for thinning and there’s no commercial value AND YOU JUST MASSIVELY SLASHED BUDGETS OF AGENCIES THAT PAID FOR IT. Dumb ass
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u/Royal_Ad_913 Mar 02 '25
The forest are to far gone it would take 100 years, and yes he is stupid the best idea how to fix the problem is have a forest the can have fire, like it use to hundreds years ago, but they are so thick they burn so hot, that is the reason we are in this mess because some. Of these areas haven’t burned in 100 years.
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u/Electrical_Clerk_124 Mar 03 '25
Good, it’s about time human lives take priority over some marmot or some shit.
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u/Sad-Warning-4972 Mar 02 '25
I like how his EO is “cutting the red tape” of environmental considerations to fuels projects, as if that will cut the time it takes to hand thin, log, slash/burn 100 million fucking acres in the west lmao. Yeah, the real constraint to rapid progress to these goals is for sure the regulatory bodies mapping out riparian areas.