Deforestation activities in the United States are about to become far easier. The ultra-conservative administration of Donald Trump has approved an emergency decree (technically an Emergency situation determination) that removes a series of environmental protections that had safeguarded more than half of the land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The decision follows another measure, signed on 1 March, aimed at dramatically intensifying the exploitation of forested areas, with the objective of producing more timber and thereby reducing dependence on Canadian imports.

The Washington Post ✓ @washingtonpost

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The Trump administration has removed environmental protections covering more than half of the land managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the president's aim to significantly bolster the U.S. logging industry. wapo.st/3R2tOfv

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Why deforestation does not limit wildfires

The risks associated with this choice are, however, enormous — and not only for the climate. It is well known that reducing the extent of forests means the Earth has a diminished capacity to absorb the carbon dioxide emissions produced in excess by human activities, thereby fuelling global warming. But Trump's decision also weighs heavily on biodiversity, and in particular on endangered species. And, finally, it risks increasing the danger of wildfires — even if this may seem counterintuitive.

One might indeed be tempted to believe the rhetoric put forward by the American president himself, according to which intensifying forest exploitation activities could limit the spread of wildfires. Fewer trees, less "fuel" for fires. But is it really that simple? Chad Hanson, a wildfire scientist, explained to the British newspaper The Guardian that the microclimate changes caused by logging operations create local conditions of greater heat and increased aridity in the vegetation, which in turn actively encourages the spread of flames. This is, moreover, exactly what happened in Los Angeles in recent months.

Civil society will no longer be able to file appeals to protect forests

And yet, this is precisely one of the main arguments put forward by the White House to justify the decision. The other, the commercial one, is equally fraught with doubts: the Associated Press agency notes that, although to a lesser extent, even the previous administration, led by Democrat Joe Biden, had attempted similar measures with the aim of limiting wildfires and increasing timber production. But sales of the raw material remained rather low throughout that presidential term.

Sierra Club ✓ @SierraClub

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The Trump administration has made a move to log 112 million acres of our national forests! 🤬 Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins issued an order today that would open up 112 million acres of our national forests to logging by private corporations. The order would also gut

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In any case, Trump's decree is now law. And, among other things, it also prevents any objections to the forests in question from being raised by civil society organisations, representatives of local communities and local governments, who until now have at least been able to file administrative appeals. These are procedures that Trump wants to block because they not infrequently bring activities to a lengthy standstill. The new regulations also limit the list of possible alternatives that can be put forward by federal officials when evaluating logging projects.

An area larger than the state of California

In concrete terms, the area that will bear the consequences amounts to 455,000 square kilometres: we are talking about areas located primarily in the western and southern portions of the United States (that is, those most susceptible to mega-fires). To put it in perspective, this is collectively an area larger than California.