Forests

"The president wants to circumvent environmental regulations to expand timber production, something sought by homebuilders and the construction industry."

"Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds as residents were forced to evacuate in some areas."

"The Trump administration’s pick to lead the Forest Service was previously an executive at a lumber industry company."

"When President Donald Trump issued a series of orders that froze billions of dollars in federal climate funding late last month, he also slammed the brakes on the most ambitious replanting initiative in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina wiped out more than 200,000 trees across the city. The blocked funding could also spell the end of the nonprofit group spearheading the restoration of New Orleans’ tree canopy, which has suffered an almost 30 percent decrease over the past 20 years."

"President Donald Trump’s administration is holding up money for wildfire mitigation projects funded through legislation championed by his Democratic predecessor, threatening efforts to prevent catastrophic blazes like the ones that recently ripped through Southern California."

"The first full draft of the assessment, on the state of America’s land, water and wildlife, was weeks from completion. The project leader called the study “too important to die.”"

"National park visitors could be confronted by "chaos" this summer if the Trump administration does not lift its hold on season hirings — soon —, says former National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis."