Ground Truth Blog
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...
Court Ruling Halts Exemption for Wildfire Logging
Judge Michael McShane, chief judge for the U.S. District Court of Oregon, struck down a 34-year-old environmental-law exemption used for wildfire logging. As reported by Alex Baumhardt for the Oregon Capital Chronicle, McShane's ruling reversed recent Forest Service...
Former Forest Service Chiefs Attest: Americans Want Their National Forests Kept Intact
by Mike Dombeck, Dale Bosworth, Tom Tidwell, and Vicki Christiansen for The Hill. Twenty-five years ago, the Forest Service adopted one of the boldest conservation measures in American history, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The National Forest System already...
Interior Announces Next Steps to Consolidate Wildland Firefighting
Congress provides no funding for new agency. The Department of the Interior recently announced the next steps in establishing the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and named Brian Fennessy to lead the new agency, even though the final version of the Congressional...
Tell the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to Protect our Water
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing on the bill that would exempt toxic aerial fire retardant from the Clean Water Act on Wednesday, Jan. 28. This is a significant hearing that will directly impact the progress of this bill. We...
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
The administrative history of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is complex, including large multi-million acre forest reserves created in the late 1800s that were parceled in the 1900s into national parks (North Cascades and Rainier) and national forests (Mt....