Ground Truth Blog
We Urgently Need Your Help to Make a Stand for Clean Water
For over 20 years, FSEEE has been pressing the Forest Service to conduct environmental reviews and obtain the proper permits to disperse aerial fire retardant. We have won at every stage in federal court, culminating in a 2023 ruling that the Forest Service must work...
Forest Service Reorganization: Remodel or Demolition?
The current administration has embraced the tech-bro mantra: “Move fast and break things.” Here’s a quick overview: The Forest Service is currently working on new rules to reduce public engagement in environmental reviews and rescind protection for 45 million acres of...
‘High Country News’ Article Highlights FSEEE Concerns About FS Reorganization
An article by Christine Peterson in High Country News cites FSEEE Executive Director Kevin Hood's concerns about the Forest Service reorganization that will move the agency's headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah, the state that is currently...
Forest Service Reorganization Plan Announced
The Forest Service has announced it will move its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah, and begin "a sweeping restructuring of the agency to move leadership closer to the forests and communities it serves." The Forest Service posted this...
Federal Judge Protects Tongass Old Growth
A federal judge in Alaska dismissed a timber-industry lawsuit seeking to allow old-growth logging on the Tongass National Forest, the world’s largest temperate old-growth rainforest. Viking Lumber, Alcan Timber, and the Alaska Forest Association sued the Department of...
Speak up Now — the 2026 Farm Bill has Been Weaponized Against our Forests
The House Agriculture Committee is currently marking up the 2026 Farm Bill (H.R. 7567), and it contains a dangerous payload. Core provisions from the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA, H.R. 471/S. 1462) have been folded into this “must-pass” legislation, threatening to...
Court Rules in Favor of Developer in White River National Forest Case
Developers of a luxury subdivision near Vail, Colorado, got a big win when Judge Jia M. Cobb, a Biden appointee, ruled that the 1980 Alaska National Interest and Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) requires the Forest Service to provide “adequate access” for “reasonable...
Act Now to Keep the Public in Public Lands!
Our national forests are facing an unprecedented assault. In a move that prioritizes minimalism and speed over environmental stewardship, the Forest Service has proposed a sweeping new rule that effectively locks the public out of the decision-making process for our...
Can Green Firebreaks Protect Homes From Wildfire?
Strategically-planted strips of fire-resistant vegetation show promise for mitigating the spread of fire, especially near structures in the built environment. Known as “green firebreaks,” this use of fire-resistant vegetation to protect homes from wildfires offers a...
Pasadena Deploys Wildfire Mitigation Goats
The Pasadena, California, City Council recently approved a plan to use sustainable goat grazing for wildfire mitigation in the Arroyo Seco. Carlos Javelera of the West Pasadena Residents Association said the Association “supports the exploration and use of sustainable...
More Prescribed Fire in Sequoia, Sierra National Forests
The Sierra and Sequoia national forests released a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the Sequoia and Sierra national forests to implement an ambitious prescribed fire project. A Department of Agriculture press release indicates, “The project aims to reduce...
Beetle-Kill Trees and Wildfire
Beetle-kill trees make an easy target in the rush to defend our forests and communities from wildfire. The trees are dead and brown, so they must be a fire hazard, especially in today’s unnaturally dense forests. Therefore, we need to cut the trees and salvage...