Gov. Little ramps up federal forest management with new executive order

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – Governor Brad Little issued a new executive order today, the “Make Forests Healthy Again Act,” directing the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) to expand its partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to increase management activities and reduce fire risk in federally managed national forests in Idaho.

“For too long, millions of acres of national forests in Idaho have remained totally untouched, creating a tinderbox of fuel that threatens communities, air quality, and the environment. The State of Idaho has led the country in standing up programs to help our federal partners increase the pace and scale of active management on federal ground. The work we’ve done is making a difference. However, under the previous administration, we were limited in the extent we could help. That has changed under the Trump administration,” Governor Little said.

The Governor’s action complements a March 1 executive order from President Donald Trump called the “Freeing our Forests Act” and an order by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins this month, both aimed at revitalizing rural communities, improving forest health, and minimizing wildfire risk through increased management of federal forests.

Trump administration officials and Idaho’s agriculture community expressed support for Governor Little’s executive order.

“I commend Governor Little for acting quickly to fix our national forest emergency. Americans rely on Idaho’s productive and abundant forests, and this executive order will go a long way towards strengthening the timber industry in the state and minimizing harmful pests, disease, and risk of fire,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said.

“The Forest Service and Idaho share a proud history of collaboration to address critical challenges in maintaining healthy national forests. Idaho leads the way in leveraging the Good Neighbor Authority and advancing our Shared Stewardship efforts to reduce wildfire risk, create healthy and resilient forests, and generate jobs in rural communities,” Deputy Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment Kristin Sleeper said.

“Farm Bureau strongly supports President Trump’s and Governor Little’s emphasis on returning active management to federal lands in Idaho. Our members have been personally devastated by the negative effects of reduced federal management over the years. We fully support Governor Little’s executive order and look forward to cooperatively increasing the level of management of federal lands in Idaho so they will be as productive and healthy as our state lands,” Idaho Farm Bureau Chief Executive Officer Zak Miller said.

President Trump’s executive order and the secretarial order from Secretary Rollins streamlined permitting and greatly expanded the utilization of emergency authorities and categorical exclusions on national forests, clearing the way for state, federal, and local partners to implement more immediate management actions including timber harvests, mechanical thinning, forest health projects, prescribed burns, fuel breaks, and aggressive yet safe initial attack during peak wildfire season.

Governor Little’s executive order takes advantage of Idaho’s already successful Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) and Shared Stewardship programs and increasing collaboration with the federal government to plan and execute more management activities. Specifically, the State of Idaho’s Forest Action Plan and fire risk map will help identify the forests in greatest need of management due to disease. Then, IDL will expand GNA and Shared Stewardship agreements to plan and implement fuels reduction projects on those lands as well as on adjacent state and private forestlands.

Under the Biden administration, there were only two small areas on national forests in Idaho where IDL could assist the federal government with expediting on the ground management activities. With the Trump administration’s actions and Governor Little’s executive order today, millions more acres of national forests could be authorized for treatment to reduce fire risk and improve forest health.

Progress on Idaho’s collaboration with the federal government will be tracked at https://www.idl.idaho.gov/about-us/helping-the-feds-manage/.

 

The contents of Governor Little’s Executive Order 2025-04, the Make Forests Healthy Again Act, follows:

EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 2025-04 

MAKE FORESTS HEALTHY AGAIN ACT

WHEREAS, the State of Idaho enthusiastically shares President Donald Trump’s goal to revitalize America’s rural communities and minimize the catastrophic effects of wildfire by streamlining regulations and increasing active management of our nation’s forests; and

WHEREAS, the recent Executive Order 14225 signed by President Trump concerning  the expansion of timber management is desperately needed in western states to help mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfires and increase timber harvest on National Forest lands; and

WHEREAS, the recent Secretary Memorandum 1078-006, INCREASING TIMBER PRODUCTION AND DESIGNATING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION ON NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS further emphasizes the forest health crisis on federal lands and directs the USDA Forest Service (USFS) to reduce the red tape inhibiting active forest management; and

WHEREAS, more than 60 percent of Idaho’s landmass is owned and managed by the federal government and wildfires on these properties pose a significant risk to lives, property, natural resources, fish and wildlife habitat, and more; and

WHEREAS, more than 6 million acres of federal forest lands in Idaho have been designated under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) as being severely at risk of insect and disease infestations; and

WHEREAS, Congress has acted many times to enact laws that allow for better forest management tools and categorical exclusions for forest health projects but these tools have not been utilized to their full extent to mitigate the risk of wildfires; and

WHEREAS, the Governor’s 2024 Wildfire Report Recommendations outlined the need to expand categorical exclusions to mitigate catastrophic wildfires on federal lands; and

WHEREAS, since 2016, the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) has served as the catalyst for increasing the pace and scale of timber harvest and restoration of National Forests in Idaho; and

WHEREAS, the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) leads the nation in successfully implementing the GNA program which, alongside the Shared Stewardship program, has created stronger partnerships between the State of Idaho and the federal government to increase active management and restoration on National Forest System lands and adjacent private forestlands; and

WHEREAS, partnering with other state agencies and relying on their expertise continues to help advance the restoration of our National Forest System lands under GNA; and

WHEREAS, the condition of our National Forests, coupled with ongoing drought conditions, a rapidly expanding wildland urban interface, and more unwanted human-caused fires has resulted  in significantly longer fire seasons   with more extreme fire behavior than in the past, creating a wildfire crisis in Idaho; and

WHEREAS, the federal wildland fire agencies cooperate with IDL through the Master Cooperative Wildland Fire Management and Stafford Act Response Agreement to suppress wildfire in Idaho; and

WHEREAS, IDL relies heavily on local fire service organizations (FSOs) to assist in suppressing wildfires in Idaho’s expanding wildland urban interface; and

WHEREAS, IDL possesses the expertise to prioritize and help coordinate timber harvest and watershed restoration activities on National Forest System lands in Idaho; and

WHEREAS, IDL maintains forest health and fire risk maps pursuant to the Idaho Forest Action Plan to help prioritize and plan forest health and fire risk reduction projects.

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that, Idaho will enthusiastically support President Trump’s Executive Order 14225 and Secretary Brooke Rollins’ SO 1078-006 to help streamline permitting for necessary forest management projects, and IDL will work with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) wherever possible to utilize all federal and state authorities to expedite active forest management and mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Be it further resolved that the maps found in the Idaho Forest Action Plan identifying forest health and fire risk, in addition to the 2025 fire risk map, will be provided to the USFS and the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to ensure inclusion in the emergency situation designation to allow for increased forest management in the form of but not limited to timber harvests, mechanical thinning, forest health projects, prescribed burns, fuel breaks, and aggressive yet safe initial attack during peak wildfire season.

Be it further resolved that IDL shall work within the legal confines of EO 14225 and SO 1078-006 to expand GNA and work with the USFS to update and expand Shared Stewardship agreements to increase the pace and scale of fuels reduction projects on federal lands in Idaho as well as on adjacent state and private forestlands, including both project planning and implementation of needed active management.

Be it further resolved that these emergency authorities are not limited to the lands listed above, and Idaho may request the prioritization of additional at-risk lands in the future.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Idaho at the Capitol in Boise on this 22^nd day of April in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-five.

Brad Little

Governor of Idaho