The U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina has ruled that a plan to expand logging operations in two western North Carolina national forests violates the Endangered Species Act. The ruling invalidates the 2024 forest management plan for the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests. The initial draft of the plan suggested increased logging to create more "young forest" habitat, which was claimed to help prevent wildfires and create new habitats. However, environmental groups argued that the plan did not account for natural tree loss and the impact of increased logging on endangered bats.