<
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/05/ohio-wayne-national-forest-logging-trump-administration>
"In the Appalachian foothills outside Athens, Ohio, more than 20,000 acres of
forest land was mined for coal in the early 20th century, destroying miles upon
miles of pristine woodlands.
By the 1930s, the federal government had to step in, taking it out of private
hands and establishing the Wayne national forest in an attempt to prevent
further degradation. In the decades since, maple, oak and other hardwood trees
have taken over, returning to nature a region previously better known for
extraction.
Home to important waterways, the eastern hellbender salamander – an amphibian
proposed for listing as an endangered species – hundreds of miles of trails and
a host of other outdoor recreational activities, the Wayne national forest
draws a quarter million visitors every year.
“People use the national forest for fishing, hunting, whether they’re trail
runners or cyclists or ATV or horseback riders [and] for camping,” says Molly
Jo Stanley of the Ohio Environmental Council who lives several miles from its
borders.
All the while, underneath the forest floor, gob piles – a layer of coal waste
material about a foot deep – is kept in place by the roots of millions of trees
and plants.
But now, with the Trump administration targeting 100m acres of forest across
the country for logging, this critical wilderness area – Ohio’s sole national
forest – could be wiped out.
Trump’s executive order was followed by a memo in April from the secretary for
agriculture, Brooke Rollins, that established an “emergency declaration
situation” that specifically identified the Wayne national forest as a site for
lumber production. The memo also outlined the government’s intention to remove
protections previously established by the
National Environmental Policy Act."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
