Idaho Governor Brad Little issued a new executive order today (Tue), the “Make Forests Healthy Again Act,” directing the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) to expand its partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to increase management activities and reduce fire risk in federally managed national forests in Idaho.
“For too long, millions of acres of national forests in Idaho have remained totally untouched, creating a tinderbox of fuel that threatens communities, air quality, and the environment. The State of Idaho has led the country in standing up programs to help our federal partners increase the pace and scale of active management on federal ground. The work we’ve done is making a difference. However, under the previous administration, we were limited in the extent we could help. That has changed under the Trump administration,” Governor Little said.
The Governor’s action complements a March 1 executive order from President Donald Trump called the “Freeing our Forests Act” and a memorandum by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins this month, both aimed at revitalizing rural communities, improving forest health, and minimizing wildfire risk through increased management of federal forests.
Trump administration officials and Idaho’s agriculture community expressed support for Governor Little’s executive order.
“I commend Governor Little for acting quickly to fix our national forest emergency. Americans rely on Idaho’s productive and abundant forests, and this executive order will go a long way towards strengthening the timber industry in the state and minimizing harmful pests, disease, and risk of fire,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said.
“The Forest Service and Idaho share a proud history of collaboration to address critical challenges in maintaining healthy national forests. Idaho leads the way in leveraging the Good Neighbor Authority and advancing our Shared Stewardship efforts to reduce wildfire risk, create healthy and resilient forests, and generate jobs in rural communities,” Deputy Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment Kristin Sleeper said.
“Farm Bureau strongly supports President Trump’s and Governor Little’s emphasis on returning active management to federal lands in Idaho. Our members have been personally devastated by the negative effects of reduced federal management over the years. We fully support Governor Little’s executive order and look forward to cooperatively increasing the level of management of federal lands in Idaho so they will be as productive and healthy as our state lands,” Idaho Farm Bureau Chief Executive Officer Zak Miller said.
President Trump’s executive order and the secretarial memorandum from Secretary Rollins streamlined permitting and greatly expanded the utilization of emergency authorities and categorical exclusions on national forests, clearing the way for state, federal, and local partners to implement more immediate management actions including timber harvests, mechanical thinning, forest health projects, prescribed burns, fuel breaks, and aggressive yet safe initial attack during peak wildfire season.
Governor Little’s executive order takes advantage of Idaho’s already successful Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) and Shared Stewardship programs and increasing collaboration with the federal government to plan and execute more management activities. Specifically, the State of Idaho’s Forest Action Plan and fire risk map will help identify the forests in greatest need of management due to disease. Then, IDL will expand GNA and Shared Stewardship agreements to plan and implement fuels reduction projects on those lands as well as on adjacent state and private forestlands.
Under the Biden administration, there were only two small areas on national forests in Idaho where IDL could assist the federal government with expediting on the ground management activities. With the Trump administration’s actions and Governor Little’s executive order today, millions more acres of national forests could be authorized for treatment to reduce fire risk and improve forest health.
Progress on Idaho’s collaboration with the federal government will be tracked at https://www.idl.idaho.gov/
