An investigation found federal agencies are using record amounts of glyphosate on public forest lands following major wildfires, prompting warnings from doctors, environmental advocates, and local residents over potential risks to human health, wildlife, and water systems.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The United States Forest Service is spraying record quantities of glyphosate across fire-damaged public lands in California and other states as part of large-scale reforestation efforts designed to clear native vegetation for commercial conifer growth, according to an investigation by Mother Jones.
The herbicide, widely known as the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup product line, is being applied to burned forest regions to eliminate shrubs and competing plant species before replanting pine and Douglas fir trees.
According to the investigation, pine and Douglas fir trees can survive glyphosate application because their needle structure makes them less susceptible to the chemical than broadleaf vegetation.
Mother Jones reporters Nate Halverson and Melissa Lewis reviewed 35 years of California spraying records and concluded that glyphosate use in forests has reached historic highs.
California agencies reportedly sprayed approximately 266,000 pounds of glyphosate on forests in 2023 alone — roughly five times the amount used two decades earlier.
According to The Defender, forest spraying has now become the fastest-growing glyphosate application sector in California.
Michelle Perro, a pediatrician and co-author of the book “What’s Making Our Children Sick?”, warned that widespread glyphosate exposure presents significant health concerns, particularly for children.
“Our national forests should be places of healing, clean air, snowpack and ecological sanctity, not large-scale chemical experiment zones for issues like ‘fire mitigation’ when there are proven alternative non-toxic solutions,” Perro told The Defender.
Perro stated that children face heightened vulnerability because their neurological, immune, endocrine, and detoxification systems are still developing.
“Cumulative environmental toxicant exposures are no longer theoretical — they are visible daily in our clinics, schools and communities,” she said.
Perro recently sent an open letter to officials within the United States Department of Agriculture and to California Congressman Jared Huffman calling for greater transparency regarding herbicide applications in wildfire restoration projects.
Her letter requested disclosure of the chemicals being used, application methods, environmental monitoring plans, and scientific evidence supporting the spraying programs.
She also urged agencies to prioritize non-chemical restoration methods and fully evaluate impacts on watersheds, wildlife habitats, recreation areas, and nearby residential communities.
“I believe the public deserves open communication, scientific transparency, and meaningful engagement before widespread chemical applications proceed in these landscapes,” Perro wrote.
Residents living near proposed spray zones have also raised concerns that glyphosate could spread through airborne drift or contaminate creeks and groundwater supplies.
Opponents of the spraying launched a petition on Change.org opposing planned applications near the Lake Tahoe basin.
The investigation also questioned the scientific foundation underlying federal glyphosate approvals.
According to Mother Jones, the Forest Service continues relying on a 2011 risk assessment that heavily cited a 2000 study concluding glyphosate posed minimal health risks at normal exposure levels.
That study was reportedly retracted in November 2025 over ethical concerns, including undisclosed involvement by Monsanto employees in drafting the research.
Despite the retraction, Forest Service biologist Russell Nickerson told Mother Jones the agency continues relying on the 2011 assessment.
The Forest Service maintains that the primary risk associated with glyphosate spraying involves people unknowingly foraging for mushrooms or plants in recently treated areas.
New federal reforestation projects are continuing despite mounting controversy.
A 2024 restoration plan for wildfire-damaged land near Lassen Volcanic National Park calls for workers carrying backpack sprayers to apply up to eight pounds of glyphosate per acre beginning in 2026.
Additional spraying cycles are planned after conifer seedlings begin growing to suppress surrounding vegetation.
The Forest Service also plans to spray approximately 75,000 acres damaged by the 2021 Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe under the Caldor Fire Restoration Project.
According to Mother Jones, the project area includes campgrounds, trailheads, and locations near residential homes.
The investigation reported that forest spraying oversight in California remains “lax” despite the state’s strict chemical regulations.
Some inspection records allegedly showed contract workers handling glyphosate without protective equipment, gloves, or formal safety training.
The debate surrounding glyphosate has intensified nationwide following years of litigation involving Monsanto and its parent company Bayer.
Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has already paid more than $12 billion to resolve lawsuits tied to Roundup exposure and still faces tens of thousands of pending cases.
Many plaintiffs allege repeated glyphosate exposure contributed to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other illnesses.
One major case now pending before the Supreme Court of the United States involves plaintiff John Durnell, who alleges Monsanto failed to warn consumers about cancer risks associated with glyphosate exposure while gardening.
Environmental groups and health advocates have also linked glyphosate exposure to liver damage, neuroinflammation, disruption of gut bacteria, and other long-term health concerns.
California Governor Gavin Newsom last year signed an emergency executive order allowing state agencies, including Cal Fire, to bypass portions of standard safety review procedures during herbicide applications tied to wildfire management.
Critics argue the move reduced environmental oversight while accelerating chemical use throughout California forests, roadways, and public lands.
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