Central Coast environmental groups are speaking out against a recent executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at expanding commercial logging operations nationwide.
The order, signed earlier this month, seeks to reduce wildfire risk, improve wildlife habitat and create jobs by streamlining access to national forests for timber harvesting. But critics argue it places vulnerable ecosystems, including Los Padres National Forest, at risk.
Los Padres National Forest spans nearly two million acres across the Central Coast and is home to sensitive species such as the bald eagle and the western red bat.
Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch, said the executive action threatens approximately 80% of the forest's land.
“We all want to protect our region's wildlife. We all want to protect the environment,” Kuyper said. “But how those words are used in this emergency order is just window dressing for what really is a thinly veiled attempt to expand logging in our national forest,” Kuyper said.
According to the Trump administration, restrictive federal policies have long hindered the use of abundant U.S. timber resources. The administration argues that increasing logging activities will help address what it calls a critical situation, with more than 112 million acres — roughly 60% of National Forest Service lands — now designated at high or very high fire risk.
In an email to local station KCBX, the U.S. Forest Service said a national plan will be released within the next month. Regional offices are expected to develop a five-year strategy in line with the executive order.
