Science Magazine: “Trump Wants to Log More Forests. Will it Really Help Prevent Wildfires?”
Senior Fellow David Wear comments on a new executive order calling for more logging
David Wear, a forest economist at the Washington, D.C.–based think tank Resources for the Future and an author of the 2023 study, says that in parts of the West, this kind of logging—often called “fuel treatments”—could generate valuable timber and provide environmental benefits. But he cautions the scenario only applies to places that still have an intact timber industry, including parts of Idaho, Montana, and Northern California. “Where do high fuel treatment needs actually coincide with existing infrastructure and markets for raw material?” Wear asks. “That’s a fairly small overlap.”
In other parts of the West, it could be hard to find places ready for an influx of logs, Wear warns.
