Court Upholds White Mountain National Forest Management Plan

A federal court in New Hampshire has rejected a legal challenge to the U.S. Forest Service’s approval of two timber harvests in the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF), affirming the forest’s management plan.

You may recall that late last year, together with partners (including the Appalachian Mountain Club, Northern Forest Center, The Nature Conservancy, NH Audubon, the Ruffed Grouse Society, NH Wildlife Federation, the Granite State Division of the Society of American Foresters, the NH Timberland Owners Association, and long-time sustainable forestry advocate Charlie Niebling), the Forest Society submitted an Amicus brief supporting the WMNF and the plan that guides all stewardship decisions, including those related to timber harvests. You can also refer to prior articles in the Union Leader and Boston Globe for further context. 

This advocacy reflects our mission “to perpetuate the forests of New Hampshire through their wise use and their complete reservation in places of special scenic beauty.” We believe that well-planned silviculture allows landowners, including the WMNF, to meet multiple long-term goals while enhancing forest resilience and health. Limiting the ability of federal forest managers to implement these practices, as this lawsuit attempted, would ignore the complexities of responsible forest management.

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