Idaho Gov. Brad Little calls for increase in federal forests management to reduce wildfire risk

Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued an executive order Tuesday directing the Idaho Department of Lands to increase forest management activities on federal national forests in Idaho and reduce the risk of wildfire.

“(The Idaho Department of Lands) will work with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) wherever possible to utilize all federal and state authorities to expedite active forest management and mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfires,” Little wrote in Executive Order 2005-04, which he called the Make Forests Healthy Again Act.

In a press release announcing the executive order, Little said his action complements the March 1 Freeing our Forests Act signed by President Donald Trump and a memo issued this month by United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins that aim to minimize wildfire risk and increase management of federal forests, Little said. 

Idaho governor calls for timber harvests, prescribed burns, thinning to reduce wildfire risk

Forest management activities included timber harvests, prescribed burns, mechanical thinning and an aggressive initial attack during the peak of wildfire season, Little said. 

In Tuesday’s press release, Little said that under the previous administration of President Joe Biden, the Idaho Department of Lands was limited to two small areas where it could help the federal government with expanded forest management activities.

Little said that has changed and expanded under the new Trump administration.

“For too long, millions of acres of national forests in Idaho have remained totally untouched, creating a tinderbox of fuel that threatens communities, air quality and the environment,” Little said in a written statement Tuesday. “The State of Idaho has led the country in standing up programs to help our federal partners increase the pace and scale of active management on federal ground. The work we’ve done is making a difference.”

In conjunction with Little’s press release, Idaho Farm Bureau CEO Zak Miller issued a statement praising Little and Trump’s actions.

“Farm Bureau strongly supports President Trump’s and Gov. Little’s emphasis on returning active management to federal lands in Idaho,” Miller wrote. “Our members have been personally devastated by the negative effects of reduced federal management over the years. We fully support Gov. Little’s executive order and look forward to cooperatively increasing the level of management of federal lands in Idaho so they will be as productive and healthy as our state lands.”

Rollins, the United States secretary of agriculture, also issued a statement released by Little’s office Tuesday saying the move will strengthen the timber industry.

“I commend Gov. Little for acting quickly to fix our national forest emergency,” Rollins wrote. “Americans rely on Idaho’s productive and abundant forests, and this executive order will go a long way towards strengthening the timber industry in the state and minimizing harmful pests, disease and risk of fire.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a similar executive order on Monday to encourage wildfire preparedness across the Beehive State, according to the Utah News Dispatch. 

The order, according to Cox’s office, is meant to “improve coordination among state, local, and federal partners ahead of the 2025 fire season,” the news organization reported.