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Environment & Climate

Oregon timber industry figures doubt Roadless Rule repeal will ease cost pressures

NPR reports that President Trump is expected to repeal the Roadless Rule, while Oregon industry members cite diesel costs and labor shortages as bigger problems.

Updated Oct 26, 2026 · 10:14 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • NPR reports that President Trump is expected to formally repeal the 25-year-old Roadless Rule early next year, opening about 44 million acres of national forestland.[NPR]
  • Oregon industry figures, including Starfire Lumber CEO Sean Smith, say diesel prices, inflation and labor shortages are more pressing than access to more timber.[NPR]
  • Federal timber sales have dropped close to 90% since the 1990s, and industry experts project the repeal could raise federal sales only five to ten percent.[NPR]
  • Several national environmental groups plan to sue once the administration formally repeals the rule, so legal challenges are likely to follow.[NPR]

Key facts

  • President Trump is expected to formally repeal the 25-year-old Roadless Rule early next year, opening about 44 million acres of national forestland.[NPR]
  • Sean Smith, CEO of Starfire Lumber, says record-high diesel prices and inflation are more pressing industry challenges than access to more trees.[NPR]
  • Jeff Brink, a second-generation logger near Eugene, Oregon, says labor shortages make it hard to find workers such as log truck drivers.[NPR]
  • Timber sales on U.S. federal land have dropped close to 90% since the 1990s, which the reporting attributes to tightening environmental laws and cheaper Canadian lumber imports.[NPR]
  • An estimated 400 mills across the broader Northwest have closed since the 1990s, with about 35,000 jobs lost and seven mills closing in Oregon since 2024.[NPR]
  • Industry experts project that overturning the Roadless Rule could raise federal timber sales by five to ten percent.[NPR]
  • Several national environmental groups plan to sue once the administration formally repeals the Roadless Rule.[NPR]

What remains uncertain

  • The repeal has not yet been formally completed and is expected early next year, so its timing and final form remain unconfirmed.[NPR]
  • The five-to-ten percent sales increase is an industry-expert projection, not an established outcome.[NPR]
  • Timothy Ingalsbee calls the wildland-firefighter rationale for new roads and logging a lie; the reporting presents this as his disputed view.[NPR]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.