US Forest Service proposes major logging project in Michigan's Ottawa National Forest

The Silver Branch Vegetation Management Project would involve clear-cutting, gravel mining, and forest restoration efforts, drawing concerns from environmental groups.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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The US Forest Service is proposing a large-scale project in Michigan's Ottawa National Forest that would involve logging, gravel mining expansion, and forest restoration efforts. The 40-mile project area has habitat for endangered species like the northern long-eared bat, raising concerns from environmental groups about potential impacts. The Forest Service says the project is focused on forest health and maintenance, not just logging, but critics argue it would damage mature forests and spread invasive species.

Why it matters

The Silver Branch project highlights the ongoing tensions between conservation, recreation, and resource extraction in national forests. While national forests are meant to serve multiple purposes, environmental groups argue this proposal goes too far in prioritizing logging and mining over protecting sensitive habitats and mature forests that play a key role in climate change mitigation.

The details

The Silver Branch Vegetation Management Project would span about 40 miles on the eastern edge of the Ottawa National Forest near the Wisconsin border. It would involve around 1,500 acres of clear-cutting, 24,000 acres of a type of clear-cutting that leaves some trees, and 57,000 acres of more targeted logging. In total, the areas slated for tree removal equal about 130 square miles. The project also includes gravel mining expansion, wild rice seeding, campground improvements, and efforts to boost habitat for protected species like the Kirtland's warbler. The Forest Service says the goal is to restore ecological balance by addressing overstocked hardwoods, aging aspen, and declining conifers, but critics argue it would damage mature forests and spread invasive species.

  • The Forest Service previously offered a 30-day comment period for the project beginning December 23, 2025.
  • The Forest Service is planning to open a window for objections in March 2026, though an exact date is not posted.
  • The Forest Service is currently anticipating making a decision on the project in March 2026.
  • If the project is approved, it is expected to begin in June 2026.

The players

US Forest Service

The federal agency proposing the Silver Branch Vegetation Management Project in the Ottawa National Forest.

Environmental Law & Policy Center

A Midwest-based legal advocacy group that has raised concerns about the project and sent a 73-page document to the Forest Service outlining their objections.

Trevor Hahka

The district ranger in the Bessemer, Iron River and Watersmeet Ranger Districts of the Ottawa National Forest, who says the proposed logging is not the primary goal and is focused on restoring ecological balance.

Kelly Thayer

A senior policy advocate at the Environmental Law & Policy Center who argues the project would damage mature forests and spread invasive species.

David Carter

A forestry professor at Michigan State University who says the Silver Branch proposal "didn't really raise any red flags" and that the Forest Service often becomes a "punching bag" for people who are misguided about their intentions.

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What they’re saying

“It involves 25,000 acres of national forest clear-cutting and yet the determination has been that there would be no significant impacts from such activities. That's just not plausible.”

— Kelly Thayer, Senior policy advocate, Environmental Law & Policy Center (Bridge Michigan)

“The mature forest is most important for sequestering carbon and helping to stabilize our climate. Replanting with young trees in their place will not replicate the kind of benefits that the public receives now.”

— Kelly Thayer, Senior policy advocate, Environmental Law & Policy Center (Bridge Michigan)

“Active management in overstocked or aging stands prevents decline and promotes long-term forest health.”

— Trevor Hahka, District ranger, Ottawa National Forest (Bridge Michigan)

“People's demand for wood products has not gone down. It only goes up. And so if we don't harvest it here, we're just going to harvest it from somewhere else.”

— David Carter, Forestry professor, Michigan State University (Bridge Michigan)

“It's just so stinking hard to do the work, period, but let alone have the additional hurdle of people thinking you're trying to do harm to the landscape when usually it's the exact opposite.”

— David Carter, Forestry professor, Michigan State University (Bridge Michigan)

What’s next

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The takeaway

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