S. 1462, the “Fix Our Forests Act,” passed out of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Conservation organizations from across the nation have voiced strong concerns with the content of the bill and have opposed its passage. The bill now heads to a full Senate vote.

Oregon Wild Wilderness Program Manager Erik Fernandez released the following statement:

“Today, the US Senate advanced its latest attack on public lands, the so-called “Fix Our Forests Act” (FOFA). This bill is a direct assault on what makes public lands public: it stymies science-based forest management, muzzles community input, and endangers the fish, wildlife, and communities that rely on our forests. It also fails to provide dedicated funding for the types of wildfire strategies that save lives and livelihoods — home hardening, defensible space, and emergency planning.

The legislation authorizes 15 square-mile-sized logging projects with little to no public input and environmental analysis, making this one of the scariest plans to face public lands in a generation.

Trump and his logging industry backers have made no secret of the fact that they see public land forests as tree farms, and view any science, transparency, and accountability from the public as an obstacle to profit. FOFA is nothing less than a corporate handout and a further step towards that dystopian vision. It is a betrayal of the very idea of public lands.

Over the past several months, we have seen an incredible movement develop, first to oppose public lands sales proposed by Senator Mike Lee of Utah, then as an unprecedented outpouring of support for the Roadless Rule that protects some of our nation’s last wild places from reckless logging and development. Over 99% of those public comments opposed the Trump administration’s efforts to rescind these public lands protections.

Unfortunately, too many politicians in Washington DC, including Senate Democrats like Amy Klobuchar, still don’t get it. 

Public lands may be managed by agencies like the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service, but they belong to all of us. They’re held in trust for the American people, not for industry lobbyists or corporate logging interests. As caretakers of these lands and as believers in the democratic vision they represent, we will continue to remind our elected officials that these places are ours, and that efforts to privatize, profit, and remove public oversight will not be forgotten.”

The post Anti-Public Lands Forest Bill Passes Senate Committee appeared first on Oregon Wild.

Growing up in Central Oregon, I developed a great appreciation for our local environment. I am fortunate to have always had access to abundant Oregon public lands where I explore, learn, and find inner peace among the chaos of everyday life. My childhood summers looked like canoe camping at different lakes along the Cascade Lakes highway, hiking in the mountains, spending time at the river, and exploring the beautiful outdoors of my home state. Every winter, my sister and I loved to spend time in the snow, sledding when we were young and skiing with friends on the weekends. As a kid, the luxury of enjoying these places that we call home, was something I never imagined going away. But over the years, I’ve come to realize that nature, as vast and wonderful as it is, has threats.

When I was in 4th grade, I began to notice the difference between snowfalls each season. Before then, my sister and I were able to build snow caves and structures with friends on snow days – some of my best memories. As the years passed, snowfall gradually decreased, limiting our days of snowball fights and good ski days. From the back seat as an 8 year old, I would observe the height of snow banks along the highway on our way up to ski at Mt. Bachelor. Vague memories of my view out the window reflect walls of snow taller than my Dad’s Jeep. Those days became far and few between until snow banks taller than 3 feet hardly existed…

My second epiphany was when our family friend’s summer vacation house in Detroit, Oregon burned in the 2020 Labor Day fires. I spent many summer days there and still remember the giddy excitement I felt each time we arrived at that house, eager to play cops and robbers, catch snails, and compete to find the biggest leaf in the surrounding forest. Tragically, we were shocked by the news in 2020 that the house and much of the community had been lost to the raging fire. We had to accept the difficult reality that we would never tell stories around that fire pit and chant songs from our beloved “chanting stump” again.

These collective positive and negative childhood memories have helped me realize the impact that human activities have on the natural world. Experiences like these have influenced my desire to protect and fight for nature and public lands so that generations to come can make memories like I have, exploring and enjoying our home in the great outdoors, which is also home to so much beautiful wildlife.

Being an Advocate

After graduating high school this Spring, I started an internship with Oregon Wild through NatureConnect Central Oregon’s Green Jobs program. This internship has allowed me to take a deeper dive into the work that goes into protecting these important natural places that define Oregon. Co-leading Oregon Wild hikes, attending staff meetings, and working alongside Sami Godlove and Erik Fernandez in the Bend office has expanded my understanding of the behind-the-scenes work of conservation. This opportunity has allowed me to be part of an important statewide movement to educate, inspire, and make measurable progress towards protecting our wild places.

Defending Our Roadless Wildlands

Hiking through the Tumalo Mountain Roadless Area on an Oregon Wild guided hike, I was impressed by the countless tumbling waterfalls and the old-growth forest that surrounded me. This forest, and the water flowing from the creek, provide clean water to the city of Bend, where I live, every day.

The serenity of the wild forest grounded me. Without the distractions of screens, the buzz of motorized vehicles, and the hustle of daily commotion, I felt I could focus and breathe.

This enjoyable activity outside also became a mission-driven and purposeful experience as we were also advocating for the Roadless Rule. Photographing the wild forest around me and talking with the hikers about the importance of protecting it made me feel like I was playing my small part in a vital movement that would have lasting impacts for generations to come. During lunch, we sat along the creek and wrote postcards to the Forest Service asking them to keep these places protected.

The Roadless Rule has been protecting a total of over 58 million acres of our most wild and intact public land for the past 25 years, including nearly 2 million acres in Oregon. Like the people on our hike, many Oregonians love and appreciate the access we have to outdoor recreation, fresh drinking water, and clean air. Now more than ever, the voices of the American people must be heard to continue to protect these places.

In June 2025, the Trump Administration announced its intent to repeal the Roadless Rule, which would open up these currently protected places to logging, mining, construction, road development, and more harmful activities. Once these areas are impacted, they are damaged for generations to come.

Over a three-week period through September, I worked with Oregon Wild to get as many people from the public as we could to submit a public comment in support of protecting the Roadless Rule. This included work such as hosting comment writing workshops, talking to local media, creating social media content, writing a Letter to the Editor, and supporting educational guided hikes to local Roadless Areas like Tumalo Mountain and Paulina Lake. In the end, thousands of Oregonians, and over 600,000 people nationwide submitted comments, with over 99% of them in support of keeping Roadless Rule protections in place!

Although the first comment period has come to a close, the fight is not done yet. The Roadless Area Conservation Act (RACA) is working its way through Congress and will hopefully be passed soon. Thank you to Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Representatives Andrea Salinas, Maxine Dexter, and Suzanne Bonamici, and my representative, Janelle Bynum, who have all signed on in support of this important piece of legislation. Passing this bill would mean permanent protections for all of our roadless wildlands.

Protecting Oregon’s Wild Rivers

Along with RACA, Oregon Wild is working diligently to pass the River Democracy Act, a piece of legislation that would designate 3,200 miles of currently unprotected rivers and streams around Oregon as National Wild & Scenic Rivers. These vital waterways provide habitat for wildlife, recreational activities that many businesses depend on, and clean drinking water for millions of Oregonians. These streams are also important for our fight against climate change as they naturally sequester and store carbon, and provide cold water refuges for fish and wildlife. 

In September, I assisted a second Oregon Wild hike along the Peter Skene Ogden Trail – a 6-mile scenic hike along Paulina Creek, near the Newberry National Volcanic Monument in Central Oregon. For years I had visited Paulina Lake with my family, but never realized that a thriving ecosystem was just beyond the thicket of trees. We had our lunch stop at a scenic waterfall, where I sat along the bank of the creek. I observed the underside of a Matsutake mushroom, with the cool mist from the waterfall on my face and dozens of California Tortoiseshell butterflies flitting around me. It was shocking that such a wonderful natural space, rich and abundant with life, is still unprotected. 

The River Democracy Act would also protect other Central Oregon streams such as Tumalo Creek, the Fall River, the headwaters of the Deschutes, and tributaries of the Metolius. Across the state, parts of the McKenzie, Rogue, Clackamas, John Day, and Grande Ronde watersheds are also included in the bill.

How You Can Take Action Too

Every Oregonian who values this land can become a part of this movement. As I learned over my internship, the voice of the public is so vital in public lands management, and your voice can impact the decisions being made for our environment.

You can take action and get involved through organizations such as Oregon Wild. Contacting your members of Congress and writing Letters to the Editor to your local paper can help influence decision-makers. Become a Citizen Co-sponsor of the River Democracy Act today and join the movement to protect our state’s vital waterways for fish and wildlife, clean drinking water, and outdoor recreation opportunities. Tell your representatives to pass the Roadless Area Conservation Act and save our last wild, undeveloped forests from the administration’s attack on the Roadless Rule.

I am one teen with one voice, and there are millions of other Oregonians who have the right to speak up. You matter in the fight to protect our wild places for future generations. Take action today.

Kyla Guerrero (she/her) is a Wildland Advocacy Intern for Oregon Wild, based in Bend, Oregon. She graduated from Bend Senior High School this Spring and plans to attend the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon in the Fall 2026.

The post A summer advocating for Oregon’s wildlands appeared first on Oregon Wild.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Service has concluded a three week public comment period on the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the landmark Roadless Rule. The rule protects approximately 44.7 million acres of National Forest System lands, including nearly 2 million acres in Oregon, but the Trump administration wants to open these wild areas up for logging and mining.

Hundreds of thousands of comments were submitted from across the country, including thousands of unique and personalized comments from Oregonians. A coalition of conservation organizations, including Oregon Wild, Central Oregon LandWatch, Central and Eastern Oregon Bitterbrush Broadband, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Cascadia Wildlands, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, Greater Hells Canyon Council, and Oregon Sierra Club helped facilitate this outpouring of public input.

An initial analysis by the Center for Western Priorities found that opposition to dropping safeguards for Roadless Areas was nearly unanimous, with 99.2 percent of comments supporting keeping Roadless protections in place.

“The American people have clearly and forcefully rejected this attack on our wild public lands,” said Sami Godlove, Central Oregon Field Coordinator for Oregon Wild. “Proceeding with the rescission of the Roadless Rule after such an overwhelming outpouring of opposition would be another example of how the Trump administration allows campaign donors, like those in the logging industry, to buy the policies they want, even when the public has spoken nearly unanimously against them.”  

Adopted in 2001 after the most extensive public involvement process in federal rulemaking history, the Roadless Rule safeguards some of America’s last intact national forest landscapes. These areas provide clean water, critical wildlife habitat, and world-class recreation opportunities while sustaining rural economies.

“Roadless areas contain much of our last remaining mature and old-growth public forests, which absorb climate pollution and provide refuge for vulnerable fish and wildlife,” said Grace Brahler, Wildlands Director with Cascadia Wildlands. “Targeting these areas for destructive extractive practices would further erode the ecological resilience we need in the face of a warming climate.”

View an interactive map of Oregon Roadless Areas

Roadless Areas are also some of the most fire-resilient landscapes. Because they are remote and intact, they experience fewer human-caused ignitions. Building new roads would dramatically increase the number of man-made fire starts and redirect scarce firefighting resources away from protecting homes and communities. Instead of focusing on strategic fuel reduction projects near communities where it matters most, the logging industry is pressuring agencies to pursue logging in unroaded backcountry areas where timber is more lucrative. Logging in these areas would make them more vulnerable to fire, fragment wildlife habitat, and degrade water quality. Road construction and the sediment runoff that follows are already among the greatest threats to clean drinking water across the West.

“Even the Forest Service’s own research shows that building more roads neither improves forest health outcomes nor mitigates wildfire risks. More roads lead to more fires, pulling vital wildfire response resources away from where they’re needed most,” said Fiona Noonan of Central Oregon LandWatch. “Rolling back of the Roadless Rule is not only scientifically baseless — it’s reckless, putting people and ecosystems at greater risk.”

The Trump administration’s attempt to roll back the Roadless Rule is part of a broader campaign to weaken bedrock environmental safeguards. Other targets include the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, individual Forest Management Plans, and the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Conservation Rule. The administration has also slashed staff at the Forest Service and is attempting to relocate experienced staff and leadership away from the Pacific Northwest. These efforts undermine public accountability while falsely claiming to be about “local control.”

“Rescinding the Roadless Rule would put clean drinking water at risk for people in downstream communities,” said Paula Hood of the Blue Mountain Biodiversity Project.  “National Forests provide clean drinking water to millions of people nationwide, and Roadless areas are strongholds for the cleanest, coldest water.”

Meanwhile, most of Oregon’s congressional delegation has signed on in support of the Roadless Area Conservation Act, legislation that would make the rule permanent. The only two members who have not cosponsored the bill are Representative Val Hoyle and Representative Cliff Bentz.

“Eliminating the Roadless Rule would be a disaster for Oregon’s forests and communities,” said Jamie Dawson of Greater Hells Canyon Council. “Building new roads in these wild places opens the door to invasive species and habitat fragmentation. Once these areas are cut apart, we lose the clean water, wildlife, and solitude they provide forever.”

The next step in the Forest Service process will be to analyze the public comments and issue a draft plan, likely in the spring.

Oregon’s Roadless Wildlands

Oregon’s roadless forests are among our state’s most spectacular and irreplaceable landscapes. From the flower-studded meadows of Iron Mountain in the Willamette National Forest, to the dramatic canyons and cultural homelands of the Nez Perce Tribe in Joseph Canyon, to the clean drinking water flowing from Tumalo Mountain into the taps of more than 100,000 people in Bend, these places embody the best of Oregon’s natural and cultural heritage. They also sustain recreation economies and wildlife habitats.

Other iconic areas include Lookout Mountain in the Ochocos, where diverse forests and meadows form the headwaters of critical streams; Rough & Ready Creek, a unique botanical wonderland threatened by mining in southwest Oregon; and Larch Mountain, a lush old-growth haven just minutes from Portland. These and dozens of other roadless areas across Oregon safeguard clean water, biodiversity, cultural values, and recreation opportunities that are impossible to replace once lost.

Learn more about the Roadless Rule and Oregon Roadless Areas here. 

The post Over 99% of Public Comments Oppose Trump Administration’s Attack on Wildlands Protections appeared first on Oregon Wild.

BEND, OR — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has opened a public comment period on a proposal that threatens to dismantle the landmark Roadless Rule. This rule preserves the last of our intact public lands as a home for wildlife, a haven for recreation, and a heritage for future generations. Oregon Wild is calling on Oregonians to speak up in defense of these critical protections.

Adopted in 2001, the Roadless Rule had the most extensive public involvement process in federal rulemaking history. It protects nearly 2 million acres in Oregon (60 million nationally) of the most pristine national forest lands from logging and road-building. These “roadless areas” are some of the last intact landscapes in America, providing clean water, critical wildlife habitat, and world-class recreation opportunities.

“Eliminating the Roadless Rule would be a disaster for Oregon’s forests and communities,” said Erik Fernandez, Wilderness Program Manager for Oregon Wild. “Building new roads in these wild places opens the door to invasive species and habitat fragmentation. Once these areas are cut apart, we lose the clean water, wildlife, and solitude they provide forever.”

View an interactive map of Oregon Roadless Areas

The Trump administration’s proposal would also undermine public accountability. Unlike the original Roadless Rule, this attempt to repeal protections is being rushed through with minimal opportunity for input, scientific review, or oversight.

“These forests are some of Oregon’s most treasured landscapes, from the flower-studded meadows of Echo Mountain to the headwaters of Tumalo Creek, which provides Bend’s drinking water,” said Sami Godlove, Central Oregon Field Coordinator for Oregon Wild. “Oregonians value these places deeply, and now is the time to raise our voices to ensure they remain protected for future generations.”

Oregonians can submit their comments to the USDA before the close of the comment period on September 19, 2025.

Oregon’s Roadless Wildlands

Oregon’s roadless forests are among our state’s most spectacular and irreplaceable landscapes. From the flower-studded meadows of Iron Mountain in the Willamette National Forest, to the dramatic canyons and cultural homelands of the Nez Perce Tribe in Joseph Canyon, to the clean drinking water flowing from Tumalo Mountain into the taps of more than 100,000 people in Bend, these places embody the best of Oregon’s natural and cultural heritage. They also sustain recreation economies and wildlife habitats.

Other iconic areas include Lookout Mountain in the Ochocos, where diverse forests and meadows form the headwaters of critical streams; Rough & Ready Creek, a unique botanical wonderland threatened by mining in southwest Oregon; and Larch Mountain, a lush old-growth haven just minutes from Portland. These and dozens of other roadless areas across Oregon safeguard clean water, biodiversity, cultural values, and recreation opportunities that are impossible to replace once lost.

Learn more about the Roadless Rule and Oregon Roadless Areas here. 

The post Oregon Wild Rallies Public to Defend Roadless Rule appeared first on Oregon Wild.

Oregon Wild has been doing our best to keep track of the many attacks the Trump administration and anti-conservation Members of Congress have launched against America’s public lands, clean water, and wildlife. Below is a partial list of what we are keeping tabs on. Amid all the bad news and threats, there is also some good news, and some early signs that grassroots activism is working.

The Good: 

Stopping the Sell-off of America’s Public Lands: Earlier this summer, Representatives Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT) tried to insert language in Trump’s Big, Ugly Tax and Spending bill that would have sold off 500,000 acres of America’s public lands in Utah and Nevada. A ferocious public backlash (including from Oregon, where Rep. Bentz ultimately came out against public lands sales) forced the House to withdraw it. Then, in June, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) went even further with an awful proposal that would have mandated the sale of up to 3 million acres of public land (and paved the way for millions more to be privatized in the future).  The backlash against Sen. Lee’s ploy was even stronger, and it was ultimately pulled.

While Trump’s bill ultimately passed the Senate (with plenty of awful anti-conservation and anti-environmental provisions in it), the backlash against public lands privatization is proof that even in this day and age, grassroots pressure works.

The Bad: 

The Fell (Fix) Our Forests Act: The Fix Our Forests Act is a logging bill trying to pass itself off as a wildfire strategy, and unfortunately democratic Senators like Hickenlooper and Padillia are drinking the Kool-Aid and handing the keys of our national forests over to the Trump administration. The bill will make it easier to avoid environmental laws like The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) — the bill uses emergency authorities to allow NEPA consultation after a project has been completed. It will allow even bigger loopholes through the expansion of Categorical Exclusions — 10,000 acres or 15 square miles — basically removing all public oversight of projects on federal forest land. And it will help to advance the narrative that commercial logging (and grazing) will protect communities from wildfire. The science is clear — we should be investing in proven community protection measures like defensible space, home hardening, and emergency planning. Unfortunately, the bill does not provide meaningful funding for these proven strategies. 

Trump’s Big, Ugly Tax and Spending Bill: The Senate stripped out provisions to sell off public lands from its budget reconciliation proposal. However, there are some truly awful logging provisions in the version that passed the Senate, including: 

1. 250 Million Mandate: Increases timber production by a minimum of 250,000,000 board feet over previous years’ sale volume for the Forest Service and 20,000,000 million for Bureau of Land Management. This arbitrary increase in logging will occur regardless of the impacts it could cause, be it worsening wildfires due to clearcutting or reducing our federal forests climate and clean water benefits.
2. 20-Year Logging Contracts: This bill calls for ramping up logging across federal forests, by mandating that the Forest Service enter into at least one long-term timber contract per year for 10 years in each region.  A similar provision applies to the Bureau of Land Management. This might force harmful logging to occur that has negative impacts on drinking water, vulnerable wildlife, and mature and old-growth forests.

Trump’s Wildfire Executive Order: Trump signed an executive order aimed to combine major wildland firefighting programs across federal public lands agencies within 90 days, in an effort to streamline how the federal government approaches fires. He issued this order during the height of wildfire season after gutting the federal firefighting workforce. The administration’s poorly thought-out and reckless actions will place wildland firefighters at increased risk and will make communities and infrastructure more vulnerable to catastrophic fires. 

The Ugly:

Recission of the Roadless Rule: The proposed rollback of the 2001 Roadless Rule jeopardizes nearly 58 million acres of backcountry forestland managed by the U.S. Forest Service, comprising around a third of the territory in our national forest system. In Oregon, the rule protects nearly 2 million acres of Oregon’s forests from destructive logging and development. These include beloved places like the Metolius River, Lost Lake, the Oregon Dunes, Mount Hebo, Hardesty Mountain, Tumalo Mountain, and the Upper Hood River Valley. Take action to protect wild Roadless Areas.

NEPA rollbacks: US Department of Agriculture, which houses the Forest Service, and Department of the Interior, which includes the Bureau of Land Management, have announced their intent to gut NEPA as it applies to national forests and BLM lands. There will be a 30 day public comment period for the Forest Service’s interim rule that is expected to close July 30th. 

Trump’s logging Executive Orders (+ subsequent logging directives from his administration): President Trump issued two executive orders (EOs) to dramatically expand logging across federal public forests and increase timber output by 25%. Under the pretense of enhancing national security, these policies seek to weaken environmental protections to supercharge timber harvest and benefit wealthy corporate interests.

Changing the Definition of “Harm” to Endangered Species: For decades, America’s Endangered Species Act has defined “harm” to imperiled fish and wildlife to include the destruction of their habitat, such as building a dam with no fish passage and block salmon from accessing the habitat they need to spawn and reproduce.  In April, the Trump administration proposed changing this rule to remove habitat destruction from the definition of “harm” to an endangered species.  It is an incredibly cynical (and stupid) idea, and one that Oregon Wild is gearing up to challenge in court.

The post The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – The War Against Public Lands appeared first on Oregon Wild.

These areas were protected by the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (as it is officially known), issued in 2001, and the result of years of development and the most extensive public rulemaking process in history. However, the Rule was being challenged in court, and the Bush administration saw an opportunity to exploit these vital forests. The Roadless Rule eventually persevered, despite the Bush administration’s efforts, and has continued to protect some of the last large wild areas left on public lands, totaling 58 million acres nationwide and 2 million acres of Oregon’s landscapes – from Hells Canyon to the Oregon Dunes.

While the gold standard of protections for nature are reserved for lands designated under the Wilderness Act, the Roadless Rule includes important protections from most logging, road building, and other development for large, wild areas. Many of these areas are adjacent to designated Wilderness, and often proposed for Wilderness protections in bills that have not yet passed Congress. Essentially, the Roadless Rule helps keep wild places wild.

Roadless IS priceless… but if one needs convincing of their immense value, here are just a few examples: 

• These are places that safeguard drinking water for numerous Oregon communities – from Ashland to Bend to Pendleton. 
• They provide core habitats for rare and threatened species like salmon, bulltrout and northern spotted owls, but also wildlife like beavers, elk, and migratory birds that not only benefit ecosystems but shore up local economies. 
• And they are places that generations of Oregonians and visitors have returned to to hike, bike, fish, hunt, bird watch, forage, and spend time in nature for personal renewal.

Now, these wild places are under attack by the Trump administration as they work to remove any roadblocks to their “timber first” mandates for our public forest lands.

Here are just a few examples of Oregon’s wild places the Roadless Rule protects:

Lookout Mountain, Ochoco National Forest

The roadless area surrounding the diverse forests, wildflower meadows, and vistas on Lookout Mountain include more than 14,000 acres. This area is part of a vital wildlife corridor, home to wandering wolves, herds of elk, and much more. It’s also a great place to hike and explore. 

Read more about Lookout Mountain in Marina Richie’s blog post here.

Hardesty Mountain, Willamette and Umpqua National Forests

Located in Eugene’s backyard and crisscrossed with several popular trails, the 8,000 acres of roadless forests that surround Hardesty Mountain and Mount June stand in stark contrast to the surrounding clearcuts (new and old) and logging roads that have otherwise fragmented the landscape in the western Cascade foothills. A hike here can include deep forest, wildflowers, and views over protected headwater streams. 

Read more about this area in Marina Richie’s blog post here.  

Joseph Canyon, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

The huge complex of roadless wildlands surrounding Joseph Canyon – an important ecological landscape that serves as a bridge between the Rocky and Cascade Mountains in northeast Oregon – protect a rugged, remote landscape rich in culture and wildlife. Part of the Nez Perce Tribe’s homeland, the remote canyons, forests, and streams in this area are home to healthy native fish, carnivore, and bird populations. 

Wilderness Extensions

Many of the areas included in the Roadless Rule surround existing designated Wilderness Areas like Mount Hood, Three Sisters, Waldo Lake, Kalmiopsis, Eagle Cap, and Wild Rogue – amplifying the wildness of these protected cores, and the importance of these extensions.

You can find these areas and more on Oregon Wild’s interactive roadless area map.
You can also join us for guided hikes to some of the roadless areas at risk – find a hike here.

The work to protect these places, and the Roadless Rule itself, is entering a new phase. We need your voice for the wild. Take action today!

Photo credits:

• Rogue River: Hanna Anderson
• Lookout Mountain trail: Marina Richie
• Hardesty Mountain trail: Chandra LeGue
• Joseph Canyon: Oregon Wild
• Bluegrass Ridge and Mount Hood: Jurgen Hess

The post Roadless is priceless appeared first on Oregon Wild.

PORTLAND, OR — A budget reconciliation proposal introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, would force the sale of up to 3.2 million acres of public lands across the West, including in Oregon. The bill, released last night, includes a provision requiring both the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to sell off public lands to offset tax cuts and other budgetary expenses (see pg. 30 of the bill).

The minimum land affected would exceed the size of Rhode Island and Delaware together. Oregon is explicitly listed as an eligible state where lands would be sold off. 

Recent polling shows 76% of Oregonians oppose selling public lands to pay for an extension of Trump’s tax cuts.

“Public lands belong to everyone. They shouldn’t be pawned off to offset tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy,” said Quinn Read, Executive Director at Oregon Wild. “This bill opens the door to selling off some of Oregon’s most treasured landscapes, potentially turning national forest edges into luxury estates with no real requirements for affordability or community benefit.”

While the bill is framed as a housing initiative, its primary function is to generate revenue. The legislation includes no safeguards to ensure the lands are used for workforce or affordable housing. Vague legislative language leaves room for high-end development on ecologically important and wildfire-prone lands.

An analysis from Headwaters Economics showed that the policy of selling off public lands for housing is complicated by wildfire and drought risks, as well as other development challenges. 

“This proposal is deeply unpopular, risky, and short-sighted,” continued Read. “Especially in places like Bend, expanding development deeper into fire-prone public lands doesn’t just damage habitat and recreation, it puts communities at greater risk.”

Just weeks ago, a proposal to sell off public lands in Utah and Nevada was stripped from the House version of the budget reconciliation bill after bipartisan backlash. Oregon Reps. Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas voted against that amendment; Rep. Cliff Bentz voted in favor.

The post Oregon Public Land Sell-Off Included in Senate Budget Proposal appeared first on Oregon Wild.

While there are so many things an individual can do, the best thing is to simply participate in democracy. Yes, that means voting, but it doesn’t stop there; we must also pressure our legislators and elected officials to stand up for our values and hold them accountable for their actions. One of the best ways to do this and speak directly to our legislators is to attend and ask questions at their town halls.

Fortunately, most of our elected leaders in Oregon prioritize holding regular in-person town hall meetings, and several are scheduled across the state in the coming weeks. With a slew of current threats to public lands and the environment at the federal level, it’s now more important than ever to attend these town halls and demand action from our members of Congress.

Check out our town hall guide below for important tips, suggested questions, and to find an upcoming event in your area!

Upcoming town halls

Josephine County Town Hall with Senator Ron Wyden
Monday, August 18 at 4pm
Rogue Community College gym, 3345 Redwood Highway, Grants Pass, OR

Benton County Town Hall with Senator Ron Wyden
Wednesday, August 20 at 4pm
Philomath High School auditorium, 2054 Applegate St., Philomath, OR

Eugene Town Hall with Rep. Val Hoyle
Wednesday, August 20 at 6pm
South Eugene High School, 400 E 19th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401

Clatsop County Town Hall with Senator Ron Wyden
Saturday, August 23 at 4pm
Astoria High School auditorium, 1001 W Marine Dr., Astoria, OR

Molalla Town Hall with Rep. Janelle Bynum
Monday, August 25 at 6pm
Location and details TBA

Silverton Town Hall with Rep. Janelle Bynum
Saturday, August 30 at 10:30am
Location and details TBA

Visit your legislators’ websites or social media channels to find out about upcoming town halls. Senators Merkley and Wyden each have a goal to visit every county in Oregon at least once per year.

Town Hall Tips

Get there early and get a good seat. If you want to ask a question, you will likely need to sign up upon arrival and be given a raffle ticket.

There is no guarantee that your number will be called, and there will likely be hundreds of others who will also sign up to ask a question. To make sure your point is made, we recommend bringing a sign to hold that will get the legislator’s attention (e.g. “Vote NO on F Our Forests,” “Pass the River Democracy Act,” “Save Our Roadless Forests,” etc).

Think about what you want to say or ask in advance. Prepare two or three key points.  Write them down.

If you get a chance to ask your question, be succinct and follow this general formula (see specific examples under “Suggested Conservation Topics and Questions” below):

• Identify yourself with your name and where you live. If relevant, say what your profession, expertise, or interest in the issue is.
• Thank the elected official for a past action/stance related to your question.
• Present your position and your ask/question of the official. Include any personal experience or connection you have on the issue but keep it brief.
• State your requested action of the elected official (support, oppose, introduce, protect, etc.)
• Thank them for their time.

Even if someone else has already asked a question on your topic, ask it again! The more our elected officials hear about a specific issue, the more they will understand its importance.

If you aren’t selected, or you can’t attend, you can still call the legislators’ office afterwards and ask your question or make your comment. Several of their staff will also likely be in attendance to answer questions before or after the event. You can also bring and leave a pre-written comment with staff.

Suggested Conservation Topics and Questions

Thank you: It’s best to start any comment or question with a thank you.

• E.g.: “Thank you for opposing efforts to sell off and privatize our national public lands”
• For Wyden: “Thank you for your efforts to protect Oregon rivers through the River Democracy Act.”

Sample Topics:

• “I am concerned about the Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal the Roadless Rule and expand logging on public lands.”
• “I am concerned about the Trump administration’s attacks on our public lands and bedrock environmental laws.”

Sample Questions:

• “From the Executive Order to increase timber production to the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule, our forests and public lands are under attack. Our mature and old-growth forests provide critical habitat for imperiled species, clean drinking water, opportunities for outdoor recreation, and are critical in the fight against climate change. I hope you will defend Roadless Rule protections for our wild forests and support the Roadless Area Conservation Act. What else can you do to ensure our environmental laws are upheld and our forests remain standing?”
• “The harmful and poorly named Fix Our Forests Act is making its way through Congress. Despite its proponents’ claims, the bill does little to invest in proven wildfire community protection measures and instead provides loopholes to allow for cutting large trees and skirting environmental laws. Will you oppose legislation that aims to expand commercial logging on public lands and remove public oversight of logging projects?”
• “The current attacks by the administration and Congress on our national public lands underscore the urgent need for more meaningful and lasting protections. I am encouraged by legislation that would do just that, such as the River Democracy Act, Roadless Area Conservation Act, and Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act. Can we count on you to pass these bills and finally give our public lands and waters the protection they need and deserve?”

For more information on town halls or how to advocate for public lands in other ways, make sure to visit our Activist Toolkit.

Now grab your friends, draft your questions, make your signs, and use your voice to speak up for Oregon’s public lands, forests, and wildlife! Together, we can make a difference. 

The post 2025 Town Hall Guide appeared first on Oregon Wild.

Portland, OR — Conservation groups intervened today in a lawsuit brought by the timber industry and counties seeking to strip northern spotted owls of protections for their critical habitat across millions of acres of forests in California, Oregon and Washington. 

The industry lawsuit attempts to reinstate a critical habitat rollback issued in the final weeks of the first Trump administration that removed nearly 3.5 million acres from the 9.6 million acres that were protected for spotted owls in 2012. 

“The logging industry wants to frame this lawsuit as just about the northern spotted owl, but what’s really at stake are our oldest, most resilient forests, forests that also provide cold, clean rivers for salmon, drinking water for communities and cherished places for countless people,” said John Persell, staff attorney for Oregon Wild. “Trump administration officials have made it clear they view these lands as little more than a source of profit. It’s up to all of us to stand up — for owls, salmon, clean water and carbon-storing forests — and say no.”

The northern spotted owl first gained critical habitat protection in 1992, and those were adjusted in 2012 under the Obama administration. That rule was challenged in court by the timber industry, resulting in a settlement and a January 2021 designation excluding 3.5 million acres from critical habitat protection, nearly all on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. 

Just 10 months later, the Biden administration rescinded the final designation and instead finalized a proposed rule that excluded 204,294 acres instead of 3.5 million acres. That Biden administration rule is being challenged by the timber industry’s current lawsuit, which is seeking to reinstate the expanded Trump administration revision.  

“The forests these precious owls depend on also provide all of us with benefits like clean water, recreation, jobs and climate resiliency,” said Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, an endangered species attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Given Trump’s relentless assaults on our most cherished wildlife and public lands, it’s no surprise that corporate timber interests are resurrecting their attacks on northern spotted owls and the places they live in the name of short-term profit.” 

“This latest attempt by the timber industry to remove protections for northern spotted owls is a cynical move that perpetuates not only the biodiversity and extinction crises, but also the pendulum swing regarding management of the owl’s habitat,” said Susan Jane Brown, attorney with Silvix Resources that represents some of the intervenors. “Rather than accept that the best available science requires the protection of millions of acres of spotted owl habitat to prevent the extinction and foster the recovery of the owl, industry’s lawsuit seeks to unnecessarily stoke controversy.”

“This is a tired story: the timber industry attempting to game the legal system in order to expand logging on our public lands,” said Tom Wheeler, executive director of the Environmental Protection Information Center. “Unfortunately for them, they have to come through us first. We have stood up for the northern spotted owls and science for decades and we aren’t backing down.”

“The lawyers for Big Timber are cherry-picking a courthouse across the country to attack old-growth spotted owl habitat in our neck of the woods,” said George Sexton, conservation director for Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. “So we’re intervening to stand up for science and our forests.”

“With northern spotted owl population numbers in precipitous decline, the timber industry seeks to remove protections from a full third — 3.5 million acres — of the species’ critical habitat,” said David Woodsmall, attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center. “This is a choice by the industry to drive the northern spotted owl to extinction for private profit, antithetical to the American values of conservation embodied in our laws. Western Environmental Law Center has fought for northern spotted owl recovery for decades, and we will use the power of the law to thwart any action that threatens the survival of this iconic species.”

“Drastically reducing spotted owl habitat protections is not only antithetical to the best science we have for allowing the imperiled species to recover, but puts at risk all the other benefits that protecting these public lands provide to Oregonians, the very people that these lands are supposed to be managed for,” says Nick Cady with Cascadia Wildlands. “Aggressive logging increases wildfire risk, threatens drinking water sources, recreation opportunities, and much more all for the benefit of corporate timber barons.”

“With less than 3,000 spotted owls left and a population that is declining precipitously, this challenge is a slap in the face to conservation and the survival of this species. Any reduction in acreage of critical habitat could be this species’ death knell,” said Joe Liebezeit, statewide conservation director for Bird Alliance of Oregon.

“Everything needs a home to survive,” said Dave Werntz, science and conservation director at Conservation Northwest. “The northern spotted owl is no exception.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protected the northern spotted owl, a bird found only in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1990. In 2020, because of continued loss of the old forests they need to live and competition with the invasive barred owl, the Service found northern spotted owls should now be classified as endangered but has yet to provide stronger protections for the species.

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The post Legal Intervention Defends Northern Spotted Owl Habitat appeared first on Oregon Wild.

This aerial image shows two adjacent forest stands within the Little Lava Fire burn area, in the Deschutes National Forest, just SE of Mount Bachelor. Single-selection thinning was done in both stands in 1978. This is when just a few individual trees within the stand are removed. The stand on the left side of the road was then commercially logged in 2019, which, as you can see in the photos, significantly reduced stand density and opened up the forest canopy. The stand on the right was undisturbed over the last 40 years.

When the Little Lava Fire burned through here last fall, much of the forest that was logged in 2019 resulted in high tree mortality. On the other side, the fire only burned and killed a few trees on the perimeter of the stand, but most are still green and alive.

Aggressive logging often makes fire risk worse

All too often, aggressive logging projects remove the large, mature trees that are the most fire resilient and leave behind smaller, younger trees that are more flammable. These projects also open the forest canopy, allowing more sun to reach and dry out the forest floor. Add in hotter, drier summers caused by climate change, and all of this can add up to increased fire risk and more flammable forests.

On the other hand, mature and old-growth forests across Oregon have unique adaptations to survive–and thrive–in fire-prone landscapes. Fire is natural and necessary for the health of these forests and the wildlife that depend on them for habitat. Larger and older trees, especially species like Ponderosa pine that are prevalent across forests in Central Oregon, develop thick, fire-resistant bark and self-prune their lower branches as they age, making them more resistant and resilient to wildfire. These forests also have more canopy cover than logged forests, creating cooler and wetter conditions on the forest floor that can reduce the risk of intense fire. Take a look at the top photo again; in the unlogged stand on the right, you can still see patches of snow (this photo was taken in late-April 2025). On the left, the soil in the open stand dried out much faster due to increased sun and wind exposure.

Despite the timber industry’s claims that more “active management” and “fuels reduction” are needed to prevent catastrophic wildfires, the science shows that logging is not preventing large wildfires. In fact, logging can often make fire risk and severity much worse. One Oregon study found that corporate-owned tree plantations burned at 30% higher severity than adjacent older stands on public lands. 

This has become a common talking point for the timber industry, who claim that forests are overgrown (and, thus, more susceptible to high-severity fire) due to a lack of management and that management (aka logging) is our best tool against climate-driven wildfires. This simple claim is driving much of the current national forest policy and an increase in poorly designed logging projects that are spreading like wildfire across the country.

Last fall’s Little Lava Fire, in the Deschutes National Forest, allowed us an opportunity to visit a recent burn area and see how forests that were commercially logged fared in the fire compared to adjacent forests that have not been logged as aggressively, and still maintain mature forest characteristics.

Touring the Little Lava Fire

Much like the other severe wildfires that have erupted across the west in recent years, this fire was driven by climate change–namely, high winds and drought-like conditions. 

The fire started near Little Lava Lake, the headwaters of the Deschutes River, from lightning strikes in early September 2024. High winds and dry conditions allowed the fire to quickly spread east towards the town of Sunriver, burning through logged forest, unlogged forest, and even fields of lava rock that are common in the area. 

Oregon Wild staff visited the burn area in April 2025 and sent up our trusty drone to take aerial photos of the burned forest. After referencing the photos with historical logging data, we found that previously logged forests still burned at high-severity and did not stop the fire.  We also found that, in some cases, logged stands burned much hotter than adjacent, unlogged stands.

Parts of the forest burned extremely hot, killing nearly everything. The above photo shows stands that were aggressively logged in the 80s and 90s. The forest in the photo underwent a “shelterwood cut,” a term that describes a very aggressive form of logging. Imagine a clearcut, but with a few “seed trees” scattered throughout the stand that are left standing, and you have a shelterwood cut. Like a clearcut, most of the fire-resistant mature and old-growth trees are removed, and what we are seeing here is the consequences of a younger, drier, and more flammable forest.

When thinning can help

No, logging (or “active management,” “fuels reduction,” etc) does not prevent large fires and, as the Little Lava Fire demonstrates, it can (and often does) make these fires more destructive. However, there are certainly circumstances where some lighter-touch thinning makes sense and can create healthier and more resilient forests.

While the timber industry, land management agencies, and many politicians like to use logging as a one-size-fits-all blanket policy solution for all forests, the answer is not quite as clear-cut (see what I did there?) as they would like.

In reality, Oregon’s forests are incredibly diverse and have evolved differently with fire. In some places, natural low-intensity fires were common, and Indigenous peoples managed fires to promote the growth of certain foods and habitats. In other places, natural and Indigenous use of fire was rare. Decades of logging and fire suppression have left some dry forest types, like many in Central Oregon, unnaturally dense.

Restoration-based thinning and prescribed burning projects that focus on removing small trees and brush (that have grown in due to a lack of natural fires) near communities and seek to restore old-growth conditions can be beneficial in these dry forests. Efforts like the Glaze Meadow restoration project near the town of Sisters have reduced fire risks while improving habitat for fish and wildlife.

Current proposals to expand logging on public forests

Unfortunately, several concerning proposals are making their way through Congress and the Trump Administration that would increase and expand logging projects on public lands.

One of the largest is the so-called “Fix Our Forests Act.” Despite its name, this bill is merely a timber industry giveaway that would allow more logging on public lands and remove public oversight, scientific review, and environmental analysis of those logging projects. The bill passed the House of Representatives in January and is now in danger of being voted on by the Senate and sent to President Trump’s desk.

Earlier this spring, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order and secretarial memo focused on expanding industrial logging across 60% of our National Forests–including millions of acres of roadless areas, old-growth forests, wilderness-protected lands, and critical wildlife habitat.

These proposals have nothing to do with reducing wildfire risk, and everything to do with handing control of our national public lands over to private industries that stand to profit off them.

What can you do

Contact your Senators today and tell them to oppose the Fix Our Forests Act. Reach out to your members of Congress and let them know that more logging is NOT the answer.

Advocate for the solutions that do work and do protect communities:

• Funding and investment in home hardening, defensible space, and community preparedness (learn about how you can make your home safer from fire) 
• Cultural and prescribed burning in forests that have become unnaturally dense due to fire suppression 
• Redirect resources used to log backcountry forests to restoration-based burning and small-diameter tree thinning projects in areas near homes and communities.

To learn more about fire and forests in Oregon, check out our blog about the Ten Things Oregonians Should Know About Forest Fires.

The post Little Lava Fire in Central Oregon shows logging does not prevent wildfire spread appeared first on Oregon Wild.