Lawmakers back Trump order, more timber harvest

By Oregon House Republicans Caucus
May 13th, 2025

On Friday, House Republicans sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump urging additional and immediate federal action to increase timber harvests on federally managed lands, while applauding recent executive orders aimed at boosting domestic timber production. The letter was signed by all 24 members of the House Republican Caucus.

“After 40 years of terrible federal forest management that has led to out of control and catastrophic wildfires, we are grateful for President Trump’s actions to promote good stewardship of our forests on federal lands with increased Douglas fir harvest,” said Representative Court Boice (R-Gold Beach). “Oregon has an abundance of natural resources that, when managed responsibly, can yield the highest quality timber in the world while protecting our communities and forests from massive wildfires.”

“Oregonians benefit when our state and federal government work together to responsibly manage our forests and timber resources,” said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby). “After years of mismanagement, we welcome the opportunity to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior to create jobs and revitalize rural communities, source sustainable building materials locally, and ensure that one of our greatest assets, our forests, don’t burn to the ground every summer.”

The letter notes that the federal government owns and is responsible for managing 17,858,000 acres, or 61% of Oregon’s forestland. Oregon is well positioned to contribute to an economic boom tied to a bold policy of natural resources management that recognizes untapped opportunity in forestlands as an asset–instead of a liability–to our state and nation. Oregon’s forest sector currently supports 62,000 jobs. Expansion of the timber industry onto federal lands would lead to dramatic increases in employment, especially in rural communities.

Copies of the letter were also distributed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.