US Forest Service chief under scrutiny for industry ties as Trump moves to scrap old-growth forest protections
Trump announced plans to rescind a 25-year-old rule protecting US old-growth forests, and researchers say companies once represented by Forest Service chief Tom Schultz stand to benefit. Critics warn hundreds of endangered species could be put at risk.
Donald Trump this month announced plans to rescind the so-called roadless rule, which has since 2001 limited development across roughly 45m acres of US national forest. Research by consumer advocacy group Public Citizen found that companies previously represented by US Forest Service chief Tom Schultz are likely to benefit most from the rollback.
Before joining the agency, Schultz served as president of the Federal Forest Resource Coalition, a timber-industry trade group, and as vice-president of resources and government affairs at Idaho Forest Group, a major lumber manufacturer. He is the first Forest Service chief who did not previously work within the agency itself.
Schultz described the rollback as a way to restore balance, reduce wildfire risk and secure the long-term health of forests and nearby communities. However, studies suggest the change could endanger around 400 threatened and endangered species and damage ecosystems across the affected land.
A Forest Service spokesperson said Schultz's appointment reflects the administration's recognition of the need for broad federal land management experience, and that active forest management is central to the agency's mission rather than an industry agenda. The American Forest Resource Council, a timber trade group that includes Idaho Forest Group, has separately lobbied for the rule's repeal, calling it an unnecessary barrier to thinning and other wildfire-mitigation practices.
Critics dispute the wildfire argument, citing an analysis of the Forest Service's own data showing wildfires are nearly three times more likely to start near roads. Since Schultz took over in February 2025, the American Forest Resource Council has spent more than $210,000 lobbying to expand timber harvesting on federal land, while Idaho Forest Group increased its own lobbying spending this year.
In December 2025, Schultz personally signed an agreement with Idaho's governor to double federal timber sales from the state's national forests, a move researchers say directly benefits his former employer. Under his leadership, the agency has exceeded its timber-sale targets and undergone a widely criticized restructuring, including relocating its headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City and cutting regional offices.
