UNDATED – Lawmakers from South Dakota and Wyoming are expressing their concerns about the timber sale program in the Black Hills National Forest. They are sending a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack about the Forest Service’s plan to reduce the timber sale program.
In a release, the Senators and Representatives stated:
U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) today expressed their concern with the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS’s) plans to reduce the timber sale program for the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF). The members are also urging the Forest Service to expedite treatment of the BHNF, which would help maintain the timber sale program that plays a critical role in keeping the forest healthy and supporting the local economy.
“We urge the Forest Service to immediately use all NEPA authorities available – including the fuel and fire break categorical exclusion and emergency actions authority recently passed by Congress – to expedite treatment on the BHNF in fiscal years 2022 through 2024, while planning additional work in subsequent years,” the delegations wrote. “Also, in light of additional funding recently provided by Congress to the Forest Service for wildfire reduction efforts, we urge the Forest Service to provide funding and staffing resources necessary to be successful in this task.”
