I’m going to be off working on a presentation the rest of this week and next. I’ll share the presentation here when it’s done. I will be approving comments. Others are invited to post.
My latest info on the FS is that
1. there is no plan to fire probationary and excepted employees
2.RIFs are coming but need to be reviewed by a judge.
3. Chief wants to push decision making down to lowest levels
4. Chief is working on getting more purchase cards
5. Whatever the transition is, it is designed to have least impact to district offices.
So I’m leaving it there for now, and people with more information can add in the comments.
Other miscellaneous stories:
1. The Hotshot Wakeup Podcast on Timber Orders
The Hotshot Wakeup has a podcast interview with me about the Timber Executive Order.
Joe Trudeau commented:
Regarding the 25% increase in production: my deputy district ranger told me last week that they need to produce a five year plan to increase production over five years. They don’t need to move 25% more wood NOW, they need to make a five year plan. Big difference. Furthermore, if you look at the FACTS data for acres harvested, we already saw an increase in production under Biden (following a decrease under Trump term 1), so, USFS is already on a trend of moving more wood. Keep the trend going on current trajectory, and you have 25% right there. My final take on this: not much will change. USFS is a supertanker that changes direction very slowly and in small increments, and the shift between administrations is more talk and posturing than it is substance.
I agree with Joe, and would only add that “making a plan to do something” and “doing something” are not the same thing. I would also add that at some point, when enough “sky is falling” emails overflow my inbox, I tend to tune the organizations out.
2. NAFSR (National Association of Forest Service Retirees) Letters
NAFSR has a letter about the proposed wildfire agency. They also have letters about other federal lands issues on their website.
3. NASF Letter (National Association of State Foresters)
NASF has a letter on reorganizing.
“State Foresters can play a critical role in the federal reform dialogue, provided they are included,” said Jay Farrell, Executive Director of the National Association of State Foresters. “They are informed, engaged, and ready to ensure positive outcomes for forestry and wildfire management throughout this transition. While we are eager for progress, we urge a thoughtful and collaborative approach to achieving efficiency.”
While looking for that one, I found this letter to new EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. The letter highlights three policy issues:
*Reviewing and streamlining the Exceptional Events Rule (EER) for prescribed fire.
*Unlocking the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for woody biomass, in line with clear statutory direction from Congress.
*Ensuring clarity in the definition and implementation of WOTUS under the Clean Water Act.
Please add any other letters on reorganization that you or your organization have written, in the comments.
4. Affordable Housing in Resort Communities Where FS Employees Live
Using shipping containers, in Buena Vista, Colorado.
5. BLM Law Enforcement Officer Reinstated.
This is behind a paywall at E&E News. While I was looking for a non-paywalled version I ran across this from PEER in 2023.
“A 2021 announcement by Interior Secretary Bernhardt that all of BLM’s law enforcement rangers would henceforth be supervised by other law enforcement personnel has not been implemented.”
Someone sent me the E&E story:
Roth’s decision says Kriley qualifies for federal whistleblower protections, concluding that he was removed as OLES director because he alerted senior bureau officials that his immediate supervisor at the time was attempting to improperly influence internal investigations into possible ethical and legal violations for senior-executive-service-level employees. That supervisor was Mike Nedd, BLM’s deputy director and its top career official.
The decision says “Nedd directed him to provide advance notice into misconduct allegations against SES personnel,” which would have included Nedd himself. Kriley argued this was not allowed.
Roth agreed, noting that Kriley “credibly testified he felt this directive was an impermissible attempt to undermine the OLES’ authority and independence,” according to the decision, which was reviewed by POLITICO’s E&E News.
Nedd also tried to force the BLM law enforcement office to pay for a $330,000 settlement payment out of its budget, which Kriley objected to, the decision said.
That payment was for William Woody — Kriley’s immediate predecessor as OLES director, who was also abruptly removed as director in June 2019 under still mysterious circumstances. Woody challenged his dismissal in an age discrimination and disability complaint against Interior.
Woody eventually withdrew his appeal for reinstatement after reaching the settlement with the Interior Department.
Kriley, who before joining BLM served as a law enforcement professional with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, testified that he felt Nedd was trying to punish OLES by suggesting the $330,000 settlement come out of the department’s budget. Ordinarily a settlement would come out of a specific legal fund, not a department’s budget.
I wonder what would happen if settlements came out of each unit’s budget in the FS? At least we’d know what was in the agreement and how much was paid..
5. Softwood Lumber from the BC Perspective: Splitting the Collected Duties
Canada and the United States have been without a softwood lumber deal since 2015 and B.C. softwood lumber exporters pay duties of 14.4 per cent, which are expected to jump to 34.5 per cent in the fall.
The industry also faces possible tariffs on top of existing duties after Trump ordered an investigation into the national security implications of lumber imports.
Eby has repeatedly questioned the purpose of the investigation because the province’s softwood lumber industry “poses no threat to Americans, except for more affordable housing,” he said.
The United States has collected $10 billion in duties so far, but that money remains legally locked up as Canada is challenging the tariffs as unjustified under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Previous softwood agreements have divided up the money collected, and Eby said both the American government and Canadian producers could benefit from those funds, which he said is an “incentive” on both sides of the border to “get a deal.”
Niquidet with the Council of Forest Industries said American companies won’t be able to access a share of the collected money unless their government settles with the Canadian government.
He could not say how long it might take to negotiate a deal, but “if there is a fair deal on the table, it could go pretty quickly.”
B.C.’s forestry industry is the one of province’s most important exports, with Niquidet’s industry group pegging its contribution to provincial GDP at $17.4 billion in 2023.
Finally, a safety tip from our University of Florida friends..
Most bites occurred following moderate-risk behaviors, such as swimming or wading in areas known to be inhabited by alligators. The highest proportion of fatal bites occurred after high-risk behaviors, such as deliberately entering alligator-inhabited waters. In contrast, low and no-risk behaviors, like walking near water or simply being present on land, rarely resulted in attacks.
“The takeaway lesson from this study is that many bites can be prevented if humans are aware of their surroundings and minimize risky behaviors such as walking small pets near bodies of water or swimming where alligators are known to be present,” said Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC) and an author on the study.
The most surprising finding was how high the percentage was for humans engaging in risky behavior. This indicates that humans, rather than alligators, are at fault in the vast majority of cases where bites occur, said Teshera.
The results emphasize that alligators aren’t seeking conflict, but they will respond when humans provide what scientists call an “attractive stimulus,” such as by splashing, swimming or entering alligator habitats.
Although some bites happened without clear warning, in many cases, people unknowingly triggered the alligator’s natural response to defend itself or to hunt.
Researchers stress that humans are entering the environment of a large, wild predator much like hikers entering bear country or swimmers in shark-inhabited waters and should assume some level of responsibility and attentiveness.