Tribes, scientists and conservationists push back against fast-tracked Black Hills logging

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued an emergency directive in April to accelerate logging across nearly 60 percent of the Black Hills National Forest, citing wildfire risk as a justification for increased timber production. According to reporting by Grist, the directive follows a March executive order mandating an “immediate expansion” of timber output and allows the Forest Service to bypass some environmental review processes.

NDN Collective, a national Indigenous-rights nonprofit, and other groups criticized the directive, saying it threatens endangered species, reduces carbon storage and violates a 2024 memorandum of understanding with eight Oceti Sakowin Oyate tribal nations. Taylor Gunhammer, an Oglala Lakota Nation member and local organizer with NDN Collective, called the directive “a U-turn” from tribal agreements on forest stewardship.