Species Act Hits Schools' Forest Income

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo

In Western communities where woodlands dominate the landscape, schools are compelled to see the forests for the trees, and the logging revenues they generate. But federal environmental laws are stirring budget tensions and forcing local educators to enter the fray over when and how to limit the harvesting of trees on federal land.

Dozens of counties in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington state have been sliding into an economic rut since environmental rules adopted nearly a decade ago placed major restrictions on logging. The rules are intended to preserve the natural habitats of the northern spotted owl and other birds, animals, and plants protected under the Endangered Species Act.

More recently, even Eastern states, from Pennsylvania to Georgia and Florida,...