OCTOBER 30, 2024|
Photo – Tree area in Medicine Bow National Forest – Bigfoot99 file photo
Wyoming and Carbon County officials have joined with other public land states to fight against unclear and unnecessary federal forest management policy changes.
In December of 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a Notice of Intent to begin the National Old-Growth Amendment process. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s stated goal is to revise all 128 federal forest management plans nationwide to address climate change, ensure continued sustainability, and limit damage from wildfires. Here in Carbon County, the one-million-acre Medicine Bow National Forest is managed by the federal government.
Many see the National Old-Growth Amendment as a form of government overreach. Carbon County Commissioner John Espy and the state of Wyoming are leading the charge against the amendment process.
Commissioner Espy explained that the National Old-Growth Amendment proposes to eliminate commercial logging within a forest classified as “old growth.” However, the commissioner said data indicates that logging presents a significantly smaller risk to forests than disease and fire.
Instead of allowing commercial loggers to reduce wildfire fuel and profit from timber sales, the federal government pays forestry companies to cut down and burn the trees. Commissioner Espy said he has personally seen the process in action.
Commissioner Espy said the National Old-Growth Amendment fails to clearly define what constitutes an “old growth” forest. Perhaps more concerning is the fact that the proposal does not recognize the differences between tree species.
Additionally, Commissioner Espy said local governments, such as the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, were not consulted when the old growth amendment process began. The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, mandates public involvement and interagency coordination for significant federal actions that impact the environment. The National Old-Growth Amendment process has failed to follow the NEPA requirements.
Commissioner Espy said that Wyoming’s state-led forest management plans already have provisions for the care and maintenance of old growth forests that the federal government is failing to consider.
The public comment period for the National Old-Growth Amendment ended on September 20th, and a proposed draft of the plan has been released. Commissioner Espy said he hopes that when the final draft is made available, cooperating agencies, like the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, will have an opportunity to dispute the federal government’s findings. However, Espy noted that, unlike the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed changes to the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, the Department of Agriculture isn’t required to consult with local stakeholders before publishing its report. The commissioner argued that the entire amendment process violates NEPA regulations.
Commissioner Espy thanked the Wyoming Federal Natural Resources Policy Account for allowing him and other county commissioners to push back against the federal government.
In the meantime, Commissioner Espy and representatives from other public land states will continue to attempt to convince the Department of Agriculture that the policies in the National Old-Growth Amendment are unnecessary. If they are unsuccessful, Commissioner Espy said the state will sue to prevent the implementation of the amendment.
If the matter goes to court, Wyoming won’t stand alone. The states of Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho also oppose the National Old-Growth Amendment and are ready to challenge the federal policy.
