March 19, 2025 Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness - Executive Order
- Fact Seeker
- Mar 21
- 3 min read
Purpose
The executive order aims to enhance domestic timber production to support national economic security, reduce reliance on foreign imports, and mitigate wildfire risks. The order highlights the economic and environmental importance of timber, noting its role in construction, energy production, and habitat management.
Key concerns addressed include federal policies limiting domestic timber use, increasing wildfire occurrences, and rising construction costs due to reliance on imported lumber. The order asserts that streamlining timber production policies will create jobs, boost economic prosperity, and strengthen self-reliance.
Key Directives
1. Accelerating Timber Production and Forest Management Policies
Within 30 days, the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) must update guidance to increase timber production and reduce processing time using:
Good Neighbor Authority (16 U.S.C. 2113a)
Stewardship contracting (16 U.S.C. 6591c)
Tribal Forest Protection Act (25 U.S.C. 3115a)
Legislative proposals must be submitted to expand authorities for improved forest management.
2. Enhancing Endangered Species Act (ESA) Review for Forestry Projects
Within 60 days, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) must develop a strategy to improve Section 7 ESA reviews to accelerate approvals.
DOI must assess existing laws for delegating consultation responsibilities and, if necessary, propose legislative changes for efficiency.
3. Establishing Timber Production Targets
Within 90 days, DOI and USDA must submit a four-year timber production plan, setting annual sales targets in millions of board feet from federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
4. Expedited Environmental Reviews
Within 120 days, DOI and USDA must finalize the Whitebark Pine Rangewide Programmatic Consultation under ESA Section 7.
Within 180 days, agencies must review and, if appropriate, adopt categorical exclusions to simplify approvals for timber production and wildfire risk reduction projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Within 280 days, DOI must establish a categorical exclusion for timber thinning and reinstate a categorical exclusion for timber salvage activities.
5. Streamlining Permitting and Regulatory Processes
Agencies must remove unnecessary permitting delays for timber production to the extent allowed by law.
Federal agencies must review and, if necessary, revise or eliminate existing regulations and guidance that impose excessive burdens on domestic timber production.
6. Role of the Endangered Species Committee
Agencies must maximize the use of ESA emergency consultation regulations to support timber production.
The Secretary of the Interior will ensure timely review of ESA exemption applications.
Federal members of the Endangered Species Committee must submit a report identifying ESA-related obstacles to timber production and recommend regulatory or procedural improvements.
DOI and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will ensure officials are available for prompt ESA-related consultations.
General Provisions
The order does not alter any existing legal authority or budgetary considerations.
Implementation is subject to the availability of appropriations and compliance with applicable laws.
The order does not create new legal rights enforceable against the U.S. government or its entities.
Conclusion
This executive order seeks to increase domestic timber production through streamlined regulatory processes, environmental review reforms, and improved coordination between federal agencies. The measures outlined in the order aim to reduce reliance on imported timber, create economic opportunities, and enhance national resilience to wildfires and supply chain disruptions.
Writer's Note: Summary made with the use of AI tools for editing and quick processing, facts checked against the order before publishing.
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