Sierra Club v. Espy

The Sierra Club and Wilderness Society (plaintiffs) sought to enjoin the U.S. Forest Service (defendant) from using even-aged (clearcutting) timber management in Texas national forests, arguing the practice violated the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) and NEPA; the Forest Service's environmental assessments had considered no-action, even-aged, and uneven-aged alternatives, factoring in old-growth ecosystem impacts, with even-aged management as the preferred overall approach though varying by individual timber sale. The district court granted a preliminary injunction, reasoning the NFMA permitted even-aged management only in exceptional circumstances, and the Forest Service appealed.