SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Six environmental groups have sued officials of the Biden administration, saying a Trump-era rule change that allowed logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest violates federal laws and was politically motivated.
The Trump administration amended a protection that had been in place since 1994 that prohibited the harvesting of trees 21 inches or greater in diameter and instead emphasized maintaining a combination of trees. Trees at least 150 years old are prioritized for protection.
The area covered is roughly the size of Maryland, on six national forests in eastern Oregon and southeast Washington state, east of the Cascade Range.
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