As 2025 draws to a close, it’s clear that the federal government, specifically the USDA, is undergoing rapid and significant change. Long thought slow to act, it has shifted direction at an incredible pace this year, signaling a decisive move away from years of poor forest management, cultural apathy, and increased regulation. Major policy shifts have occurred, including changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), USDA workforce reorganization, the rescindment of the 2001 Roadless Rule, changes to the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rules, and updating the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  These efforts will transform federal forest management, change the trajectory of the wildfire crisis, and help solidify the industry’s future.

NEPA has been a major roadblock for federal management in the past, with many projects requiring an average of 5 years to complete. In late 2024, the DC Circuit Court ruled that the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations lacked statutory authority. Previously, courts and agencies had generally accepted the CEQ’s rulemaking authority, which was grounded in a 1977 executive order by President Carter. The judges ruled that an executive order could not grant law-making power without congressional approval. This ruling prompted major changes for NEPA across the federal government.  In February of 2025, the new administration rescinded all CEQ regulations and instructed agencies to develop their own NEPA procedures.  The USDA released an interim NEPA rule in late June that covered all USDA agencies, including the Forest Service. The new rules were designed to expedite project approvals by adding time and page limits to planning documents, expanding Categorical Exclusions, and increasing accountability to Congress. These new streamlined regulations, coupled with Executive Order 14225 entitled “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production,” and the Emergency Declaration—which identified 112 million acres at high risk for wildfire—will increase the pace and scale of timber production across the federal landscape. As a result, the US Forest Service aims to increase timber production by 250 million board feet each year for the next ten years, ultimately increasing timber harvest to meet the current forest plans.  In the short term, the goal is to increase production outputs to 4 billion board feet by 2028.

While these changes alone are significant, the USDA subsequently announced a workforce reorganization. The goal is to reduce its footprint in Washington, DC, and become more efficient and effective in increasing timber harvest on public land. While the exact pathway forward is still in development, the intent is clear. The reorganization will move employees out of the Washington, DC area into five separate hubs across the nation. This will bring personnel and services closer to the land and people. It will also reduce costs for the agency and its personnel by choosing areas with a lower cost of living, where employees will feel the impact of their decisions. This reorganization will mainly affect personnel in the Washington and Regional offices, with little effect on forests and districts.

The Forest Service also announced that it plans to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, which designated approximately 59 million acres as de facto wilderness, where very active management or restoration could occur.  The full recission may take a few years to implement because the rule was codified across multiple forest plans, which will need to be revised.  In addition to rescinding the Roadless Rule, the Forest Service has announced multiple changes to their internal directives designed to expedite work on the federal forests, including reducing the timelines on the objections process, simplifying directives by delegating authorization for use of designation by prescription and designation by description to the forests (as opposed to requiring regional authorization), and streamlining the silviculturist certification process. In addition to those changes, the Forest Service is reviewing 3,000 additional directives to streamline these processes and improve its operations.

The federal government has also announced favorable changes to the WOTUS Rule and ESA requirements, which will influence how these regulations are applied to future work on federal forests. Not long ago, any one of these policy shifts would have been cause for celebration in the industry. What a difference a year makes — at this time last year, we were waiting to see how many more acres might be restricted under the Old Growth Forest Plan Amendment.

Today, with updates to NEPA, agency reorganization, the rescindment of the 2001 Roadless Rule, reductions and streamlining within Forest Service Directives, and potential adjustments to the ESA and WOTUS Rules, both the industry and the public have reason to be optimistic. Still, we must remain vigilant and use our collective expertise to help shape this new era of federal forest management. As these changes unfold, FRA remains at the forefront — keeping our members informed, representing their interests, and ensuring their voices are heard in federal forest management decisions.