In mid-June, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a directive to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to implement a grazing action plan to streamline and expand livestock grazing on National Forest System lands.
“For too long, bureaucratic overreach and activist-driven lawfare have undermined the multiple-use mandate of our National Forests and Grasslands,” Rollins said. “Today, we are empowering line officers with clear direction and reaffirming grazing as an essential tool for healthy landscapes and vibrant rural communities.”
The notice directs USFS staff to implement the Advancing Grazing on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed this spring, and the USDA-Department of the Interior Grazing Action Plan released last October.
The plans align with the USDA Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry released in October, which includes a list of actions to strengthen the beef industry. The USDA plan emphasizes that “grazing and rangeland management are central to the multiple-use missions of both the USFS and BLM.”
“Together, the Grazing Plan and MOU further the commitment to streamline and expand livestock grazing on federal lands, elevate grazing as an Administration priority, and strengthen support for America’s ranchers,” Rollins said in her notice.
USFS has initiated several of the actions already, Rollins said, and the directive outlines policy direction to further implement the Grazing Plan and MOU.
The directive includes the following key actions as assigned by Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Michael Boren:
• Expand access to prioritize permitting vacant and closed allotments.
• Maximize grazing flexibilities to keep working lands working.
• Eliminate delays by streamlining permitting and allotment authorizations.
• Elevate rural Americans by giving ranchers a better voice.
• Improve service by setting expectations for positive engagement with ranchers.
The notice directs all USFS staff to expedite the actions related to prioritizing livestock grazing on National Forest System lands, and to fully integrate the plans into multiple-use management to the maximum extent possible.
“By elevating grazing as an Administration priority, USDA is protecting the roughly 23,000 permittees and lessees who rely on public rangelands while delivering more affordable, American-raised protein to consumers,” USDA said. — Anna Miller Fortozo, WLJ managing editor
