Credit: Felicia Fonseca

In the Trump administration, trees were crops. In the Biden administration, they’re guardians of the climate. This fall’s election will determine which label wins, though the Forest Service’s work on the ground may not change all that much. That’s one conclusion from forest policy groups, which see the rhetoric around managing national forests hinging on the presidential race between Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and Donald Trump, the Republican contender, even as radical changes aren’t likely anytime soon in the 193-million-acre forest system… No matter who’s elected this fall, the Forest Service — which is filled from top to bottom with career employees rather than political appointees — will continue to log forests, including older trees in some places… Possibly more important is who the incoming president picks as secretary of the Agriculture Department and how closely the White House inserts itself into forest policy, said Steve Ellis, a former Forest Service and Interior Department official.