"Loggers are finding it impossible to profitably harvest some federal forests. That leaves more fuel for fires to accumulate."
"When the U.S. Forest Service opened 947 acres in a remote section of western Colorado to commercial logging in July, officials expected at least a few companies to jump at the opportunity.
Not one did. None had bid a year earlier, either. Surging fuel costs and plummeting prices for Ponderosa pine made it impossible for them to turn a profit from the sale, so they all skipped it.
That isn’t just a problem for the loggers. Timber sales are an important tool for preventing catastrophic wildfires, helping to thin dense underbrush and other vegetation that builds up over decades.
President Trump has taken steps to promote the American timber industry, increasing access for logging companies to federal lands and deploying executive orders and tariffs to boost their competitiveness."
Scott Dance reports for the New York Times October 13, 2026.
