What We Talk About When We Talk About Forest Law
From Environmental Law Explored: A Podcast SEERies by ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources
December 5, 2025 · 50 min
About this episode
The episode features Professor John Leshy discussing the complexities and evolution of forest law in the United States.
We are pleased to be joined by Professor John Leshy, author of Our Common Ground and the preeminent scholar on the history of America's public lands. Public land management is the cornerstone of forest law in the United States, and Professor Leshy's insights into its scope and evolution are invaluable in helping to piece together the fundamentals of forest law. Forest law presents a daunting barrier of entry to the uninitiated. Forest law is composed of and delimited by a broad swath of statutes, regulations, and norms, all shaped by a diverse array of stakeholders. The implications of forest management decisions are vast and varied, ranging from the hyperlocal—with decisions concerning timber harvest and wildfire mitigation bearing directly on the continued prosperity and existence of some rural communities—to the planetary, as climate change intensifies and the health of the world's forests grows ever further imperative to slow its most devastating effects. Complicating things further, today, forest law in the United States is undergoing rapid changes at the federal level. In beginning to explore the foundations of forest law, there is perhaps no better place to start than with…
People in this episode
Guest: Professor John Leshy
Topics covered
- forest law
- public land management
- climate change
- stakeholder involvement
- regulations and statutes
Keywords
- forest law
- public lands
- climate change
- regulations
- stakeholders
- timber harvest
- wildfire mitigation
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Our Common Ground, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
Places: United States
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