SE Wyoming News

On May 28, 2024, Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), John Thune (R-SD), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) addressed a letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. The senators criticized the Biden administration's forest management policies in the Black Hills National Forest, which they claim have reduced the number of trees available for harvest, leading to sawmill closures and job losses among timber workers.

The senators urged the administration to open more areas of the Black Hills National Forest for timber harvesting to support Wyoming and South Dakota sawmills and workers affected by these policies. "Unfortunately, dwindling sawmill capacity near our nation’s national forests is not unique to the Black Hills," they stated. "Since 2020, more than 20 mills near national forests have been forced to curtail production or close altogether. While the timber industry faces its own unique market pressures, the recent layoffs are a direct result of reductions to the U.S. Forest Service’s timber sale program."

For further details, click here to read the full letter.