Carla Keene

ROSEBURG, Oregon – The European Union has overreached again. In its pursuit of “deforestation-free” products, it is using its global influence to exert control over foreign lands and to project its values, assumptions and expectations on the rest of the world. Under the EU’s Deforestation-free Regulation, which went into effect in 2023 but has yet to be enforced, those who sell certain goods in the EU—wood and furniture, for instance—must prove that the products don’t originate from recently deforested land and haven’t contributed to “forest degradation,” which is loosely defined. This policy evokes painful memories for my people, a tribal sovereign nation in Oregon. It’s a new spin on colonialism—a regulation based on the flawed premise that Europeans know what’s best for the rest of us. …If the EU truly wants to advance global forest stewardship, it should start by respecting our indigenous sovereignty and knowledge about forest management. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]