More than 400 forestry associations, businesses and private landowners have delivered an open letter to President Trump—and to the Speaker of the House, the Secretaries of the Treasury, Interior, Commerce, Agriculture and Energy, the U.S. Trade Representative, and chiefs of the U.S. Forest Service and EPA—warning that America’s timber supply, rural economies and energy independence are teetering on the brink of collapse.
“We write on behalf of private forest landowners, forestry agencies, loggers, businesses, and associations from across the nation, collectively representing a sector that supports 3.9 million American jobs,” the letter begins. “We want to draw your attention to a growing national security crisis that threatens the nation’s timber supply, rural economies, and long-term energy independence. With the right policies, however, your Administration can not only stabilise these challenges but also spark new job creation, strengthen domestic manufacturing, and drive economic growth in rural America.”
The plea follows President Trump’s March 1 Executive Order to “free up the forests” by boosting domestic timber and wood-product output. “On March 1st, you signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to boost the domestic production of timber and wood products—a clear recognition that working forests are critical to our economic resilience, housing supply, consumer products, energy production, and national security,” the letter notes. “Today, that directive faces unprecedented headwinds.”
Industry leaders say those headwinds include Hurricane Helene—which inflicted an estimated $1.28 billion in timber losses in Georgia—plus the shuttering of two mills in Savannah and Riceboro, Georgia, that wiped out nearly 1,100 jobs and “destabilised the very heart of the forestry value chain in those communities.” Since 2014, more than 31 pulp and paper mills have closed nationwide, erasing at least 42 million tons of pulpwood demand and $20.9 billion in sales.
“These forces are pushing many landowners to exit forestry altogether,” the coalition warns. “If forests are abandoned or converted, the consequences for our domestic timber supply—as well as markets for housing, infrastructure, consumer products, energy, rural livelihoods and environmental security—will be severe. This is not just a regional concern—it is a national crisis.”
To avert collapse, the letter lays out four priorities for the White House:
- Endorse and support the Disaster Reforestation Act, allowing landowners to deduct timber losses from catastrophic events and replant their forests.
- Broaden the Renewable Fuel Standard’s definition of woody biomass to include small trees and mill residues, opening new markets and bolstering renewable energy.
- Promote biomass-fired electricity to reduce wildfire risk, spur rural job growth and stabilise energy supplies.
- Pass the Loggers Economic Assistance Act, delivering direct relief to crucial logging contractors.
“Mr. President, America’s private forests are a strategic asset,” the letter revealed, adding that “they provide raw materials for housing, infrastructure, consumer products, and renewable energy, while supporting millions of jobs. Without decisive action, we risk losing this foundation of our economy and national security. By advancing these measures, your Administration can ensure not only that America’s forests remain strong and resilient, but also that they continue to be engines of job creation, economic growth, and prosperity in the rural communities that form the backbone of this nation.”
Industry voices echoed that call. “America’s private forests are a strategic national asset,” according to Scott Jones, CEO of the Forest Landowners Association. “By advancing these measures, the Trump Administration can provide certainty for landowners, loggers and mills, while strengthening domestic manufacturing, renewable energy and rural livelihoods.”
Meanwhile, Scott Dane, Executive Director of the American Loggers Council, who last week revealed to Wood Central loggers concerns over the impact of the European Union’s flagship EUDR on the industry, said Trump inherited a declining timber and forest products industry from Joe Biden. “It has already issued bold orders and policies to reverse that trend. Implementing these recommendations will arm the White House with the tools needed to revive U.S. manufacturing.”
“We are grateful to President Trump for pointing out in his Timber Expansion executive order that ‘bioenergy is critical to the nation’s well-being,’” said Carrie Annand, Executive Director of the American Biomass Energy Association. “Biomass power converts flammable forest waste into 24/7 renewable energy. Utilising biomass is a critical part of revitalising America’s forest products supply chain, and holds enormous potential for rural American jobs, for wildfire risk prevention and for supplying 24/7 power to the electric grid.”
With 3.9 million American jobs tied to working forests, the coalition says decisive federal action could transform today’s crisis into tomorrow’s opportunity—keeping forests intact, revitalising mills and powering rural America.
- To find out why President Trump will find it “incredibly challenging for the US federal timber harvest to offset Canadian wood products in the coming years” without increasing logging areas by at least 450% and investing in US Forest Service resources, workforce planning and CapEx expansion, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from earlier this year. And to learn why voters from timber (and furniture) manufacturing areas were instrumental in his 2024 Presidential victory, click here for Wood Central’s exclusive coverage from last year.
