BLM Hastens Dead Tree Removal to Protect Western Public Lands
Published Date: 4/6/2026
Notice
Summary
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is updating its rules for quickly cutting down dead or dying trees to keep forests healthy and safe. This change affects public lands mostly in the West and aims to speed up timber salvage projects while protecting the environment. People have until May 6, 2026, to share their thoughts, and the update could help save millions of acres from damage without extra costs.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Faster Wildfire Fuel Reduction on Public Lands
BLM says the proposed CE would let managers more quickly conduct larger salvage harvests to reduce wildfire fuel loads and hazards to firefighters, the public, and infrastructure. The notice cites that BLM manages roughly 248 million surface acres (about 58 million forested) and that average U.S. acres burned grew to 7.3 million per year (2000–2024); between January 1 and November 28, 2025, 4,927,904 acres burned on federal land.
Restored, Expanded Salvage Harvest CE
The Bureau of Land Management proposes restoring and revising a categorical exclusion that would allow salvage harvesting of dead or dying trees up to specified limits: up to 1,000 acres where the disturbance affects 3,000 acres or less, and otherwise up to the lesser of 5,000 acres or one-third of the disturbance area where the disturbance exceeds 3,000 acres. BLM says this CE would increase flexibility to authorize larger salvage projects on BLM-managed lands that include an estimated 2,000,000 acres of dead or dying timber.
Operational Limits and Design Requirements
The proposed CE includes operational restrictions that affect how salvage work is done: permanent road construction must not exceed 1 mile, temporary roads are allowed up to 2.25 miles per 1,000 acres of harvest area and must be decommissioned and stabilized after use, and projects must disclose design features addressing snags/downed wood, erosion control, soil compaction, invasive species, riparian buffers, and prescribed-fire constraints. These requirements guide on-the-ground operations and must conform to land use plans.
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Previous: 2026-06602 — National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures for the Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is updating its rules to make forest and woodland management easier and faster by adding a new shortcut for certain projects. This change affects anyone involved in managing public lands, especially forests, and aims to help keep these lands healthier and safer from wildfires. You can share your thoughts by May 6, 2026, so don’t miss the deadline!
Next: 2026-06606 — Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
HUD is fixing a mistake in its earlier Privacy Act update about how it handles personal records. They’re reopening the comment period until May 6, 2026, so the public can weigh in on the corrected info. This affects anyone whose data HUD collects and won’t cost taxpayers extra but keeps your privacy protections sharp and clear.