U.S. Forest Service

A tree to be displayed outside the U.S. Capitol building over the holidays is supposed to come from a northern New Mexico forest.  That’s if the U.S. Forest Service can get an exception from a tree-cutting ban across all New Mexico national forests and one in Arizona.

The Tonto National Forest and five national forests in New Mexico have suspended firewood collection permit sales, timber sales, thinning and prescribed burns because of a federal court order related to a threatened owl.

The U.S. Forest Service is seeking proposals to remove dense stands of trees in a wide swath of Arizona to help prevent wildfires.

Experts say a federal court ruling against a proposed southern Arizona mining project is expected to have national repercussions if upheld by higher courts.