Trump orders swathes of US forests to be cut down for timber

President's move to expand tree cutting across 280m acres evades rules to protect endangered species

Donald Trump has ordered that swathes of America's forests be felled for timber, evading rules to protect endangered species while doing so and raising the prospect of chainsaws razing some of the most ecologically important trees in the US.

The president, in an executive order, has demanded an expansion in tree cutting across 280m acres (113m hectares) of national forests and other public lands, claiming that heavy-handed federal policies" have made America reliant on foreign imports of timber.