Wisconsin

Wisconsin may see more logging of national forest land under Trump order

Published

9 months ago

March 19, 2025

Wisconsin may see more logging of national forest land under Trump order

President Donald Trump wants to ramp up timber production by fast-tracking projects under laws that protect endangered species and other environmental regulations, which could expand logging of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

Earlier this month, Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to issue guidance on increasing timber production and sound forest management. The order is intended to make the nation “more self-reliant” as Trump has imposed, and then paused, tariffs on Canada, the nation’s largest supplier of lumber.

Trump has called on the secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior to adopt categorical exclusions that essentially exempt certain activities from detailed environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act.

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The president’s order also directs agencies to convene a committee under emergency regulations that could bypass endangered species protections to clear the way for logging projects.

Environmental groups like the Environmental Law & Policy Center argue that more logging would damage national forests and harm recreation, wildlife and water quality. Andy Olsen, the group’s senior policy advocate, said the order represents an ideology that led to clear cutting of Wisconsin forests more than 100 years ago.

“We should not return to the failed past. We should be moving forward and increasing environmental protections, increasing protection of the forest and increasing forest-friendly economic development like tourism,” Olsen said.

Olsen notes the proposal comes as the USDA’s Forest Service may cut as many as 7,000 federal workers, raising alarms over reduced oversight of logging.

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Joshua Mayer (CC-BY-SA)

A USDA spokesperson said it will continue to protect wildlife under the Endangered Species Act while meeting Trump’s directive “to provide the nation with abundant domestic timber, unhampered by burdensome, heavy-handed policies that neither ensure American economic security nor protection of natural resources.”

It’s unclear to what extent the order may affect the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin.

Trump has called on leaders of multiple federal agencies to issue updated guidance by April on tools to ramp up timber production. Those tools may include the use of stewardship contracts and Good Neighbor Authority, or GNA, agreements.

Wisconsin signed a GNA agreement with the U.S. Forest Service in 2015 that authorized the state to assist with national forest management, including timber sales. Since 2015, the Department of Natural Resources said it’s conducted just shy of 200 timber sales spanning 32,000 acres under the agreement.

“Expanded timber production on the CNNF could lead to an increase in the amount of national forest timber sales available for the state to administer through our GNA agreement; however, it is uncertain how much additional volume beyond the current average of 25 million board feet annually the state would be capable of managing,” a DNR spokesperson said in an email.

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is already one of the top timber-producing national forests in the country, said Ron Eckstein, co-chair of the public lands and forestry workgroup with Wisconsin’s Green Fire. The forest sold around 125 million board feet in fiscal year 2024.

“They’ve been able to get that timber produced while protecting wildlife habitat, biodiversity, [and] following the National Environmental Policy Act and other federal regulations,” Eckstein said.

*Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (CC-BY-ND)*

The national forest and other federal forest land make up 9.4 percent of the state’s nearly 17 million acres of forest land. The forestry and logging sector directly employs around 4,400 of the 57,000 workers in Wisconsin’s nearly $27 billion forest products industry.

Logging advocates like Henry Schienebeck with the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association said the order represents a golden opportunity for the public to have healthy, well-managed forests.

“I think they’re doing a great job between the state and the Forest Service working together to get the forest managed because we were behind, way behind, and we’re still behind a little bit,” Schienebeck, the group’s executive director, said.

Prior to 2015, the Forest Service said it had struggled with managing timber sales in northern Wisconsin, and the agency has faced rising costs of fire suppression. Schienebeck pointed to wildfires in California as another reason why increased timber production would be a win for the country.

“Would people rather recreate in a healthy, clean forest? Or would they rather recreate in ashes and watch ashes run into streams and basically ruin water quality?” Schienebeck said.

Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s conservative policy roadmap, said increased timber sales could reduce wildfire risk. Trump has also blamed California wildfires on poor forest management as scientists insist climate change is behind extreme heat and drought driving wildfires.

The White House contends the order would reduce not only wildfire risks but also dependence on foreign goods as tariffs on Canada may resume next month.

Tariff actions create uncertainty, drive up building material costs

Most recent federal data from 2021 shows the nation imported nearly half of its forest products from Canada. That same year, Wisconsin imported more than $600 million of wood products, the most since 2009.

At the same time, Canada is the top importer of wood and paper products from Wisconsin, and the state exported more than $840 million worth of wood and paper products in 2022.

Troy Brown, president of Kretz Lumber, said it’s unclear what effects tariffs may have on the lumber industry as the situation is ever-evolving.

“Where we would be affected is if we have retaliatory tariffs, and that is where our product ends up being tariffed by the consuming country, and they have to then absorb a higher cost for our product,” Brown said.

The cost of building materials used for home construction are already rising as a result of the Trump administration’s tariffs, according to the Associated Press. Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods earlier this month, prompting Canada to tack on $21 billion in retaliatory tariffs.

The president later postponed some tariffs until April 2, including lumber. Even so, the National Association of Homebuilders estimates uncertainty over recent tariff actions have caused costs to rise to $9,200 per home.

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Wisconsin

When does Wisconsin volleyball play again? NCAA tournament next match

Published

12 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

When does Wisconsin volleyball play again? NCAA tournament next match

Start time yet to be announced for regional finals match

AUSTIN, Texas – Wisconsin volleyball will be spending two more days in Austin.

The Badgers ensured that with a four-set win over Stanford on Dec. 12 in the NCAA tournament regional semifinals. It was the eighth consecutive win in the regional semifinals for Kelly Sheffield’s group and its first-ever win over Stanford in program history.

Here’s what to know about Wisconsin’s next match:

Who will Wisconsin volleyball play next?

Wisconsin’s next match will be against top-seeded Texas in the NCAA tournament regional finals, with the winner advancing to the Final Four.

What time is Wisconsin volleyball’s next match?

The Wisconsin-Texas match will be on Sunday, Dec. 14. A time has not yet been announced, but it will either be at 2 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. CT.

How to watch Wisconsin-Texas NCAA tournament regional finals match?

NCAA volleyball tournament bracket for regional finals

Creighton vs. Kentucky on Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. in Lexington, Kentucky
Purdue vs. Pittsburgh on Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Pittsburgh
Wisconsin vs. Texas on Dec. 14 in Austin
Winner of Nebraska/Kansas vs. winner of Louisville/Texas A&M on Dec. 14 in Lincoln, Nebraska

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Wisconsin

How tariffs are affecting Wisconsin’s real and artificial Christmas trees

Published

24 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

How tariffs are affecting Wisconsin’s real and artificial Christmas trees

Nearly all artificial Christmas trees in the world today are made in China. And with that comes an up to 30 percent tariff rate on imported Christmas products — including artificial trees.

Kris Reisdorf is co-president of the Racine- and Sturtevant-based home and garden store Milaeger’s. On WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Reisdorf said tariffs are affecting their prices on artificial trees, but she’s mitigating most of the rate hike through negotiations with manufacturers and by taking on lower profit margins herself.

“We are doing our fair share in making Christmas affordable,” Reisdorf said. “When the average person is thinking 30 percent (tariffs), that’s not by any means what they’re really paying.”

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Milaeger’s “almost real” trees range from under $100 to well over $3,000. Reisdorff said she’s raised prices for all artificial trees by only around $20 compared to last year.

Residorf said tree sales are largely stable despite the uptick in tariff pricing.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll last year found that 58 percent of Americans were buying artificial trees instead of real ones. That’s up from 40 percent in 2010.

Greg Hann owns Hann’s Christmas Farm in Oregon. Hann also sits on the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association Board and is president-elect of the National Christmas Tree Association.

Hann told “Wisconsin Today” the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a surge in business for real evergreen trees and that demand has been holding relatively steady ever since. That said, Hann acknowledged real Christmas tree sales are up for him and fellow growers this year. He attributed the increase in sales to the tariffs and the fact that farmers’ supplies are finally catching up to the higher demand brought on by COVID-19. Nearly all real trees come from the United States or Canada, according to Hann.

Hann said a recent survey by the National Christmas Tree Association found 84 percent of Christmas tree growers nationwide have kept prices the same over the last two years, and that includes his own farm. Being grown locally in Wisconsin, Hann said his business is largely unaffected by tariffs.

“It’s kind of nice to have a good supply with a stable price in this economy,” he said.

Reisdorf said that some artificial tree manufacturers are moving operations outside of China to places like Cambodia. But most other countries in the east are also facing tariff threats.

Instead, Reisdorf said artificial tree importers are lobbying President Donald Trump to lower his 30 percent tariffs on Christmas products like trees and ornaments, because those kinds of goods aren’t coming back to be made in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Hann said his organization is lobbying to have tariffs on artificial trees increased to 300 percent. He said the added tariff costs help create an “even playing field” between real and artificial trees, since farmers have to pay farm staff and cover fertilizer costs.

But it isn’t always about the cost. Reisdorf said artificial trees have the benefit of lasting “forever,” essentially.

Hann said many of his customers come to the farm looking to keep up the Christmas tradition of picking out their own family tree.

“They’re looking for that fragrance of a real tree,” he said. “They want to start that tradition of the family together. They pick the tree, they take it into their house.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

In a bit of a surprise, Wisconsin Badgers starting center Jake Renfro is using a medical hardship year and entering the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility.

Renfro, a sixth-year senior in 2024, battled numerous injuries this season, limiting him to only four games after having season-ending surgery. He was a full-time starter for Wisconsin in 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season except for the team’s bowl game due to injury.

Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Renfro had played for head coach Luke Fickell at Cincinnati for three seasons. He played in seven games as a freshman in 2020, making six starts at center. He then was the full-time starter as a sophomore in 2021, earning All-AAC honors before missing the entire 2022 season due to injury.

Now, he’s set to come back to college football for a seventh year, rather than turn pro, and will look to do so at another school.

“I want to thank Coach Fickell, the entire coaching and training staff, my teammates, and the University of Wisconsin for everything over the past three seasons,” Renfro wrote. “I am grateful for the support, development, friendships, and memories I have made during my time in Madison. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal and use a medical hardship year to continue my college football journey. I will always appreciate my time as a Badger.”

Renfro was one of the biggest supporters of Fickell publicly, being a vocal leader on the team as the starting center.

With his departure, Wisconsin could need a new starting left tackle, left guard, and center next season, depending on whether Joe Brunner heads to the NFL or returns for another season.

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