Shawnee Forest Bill Locks Down 13,000+ Acres, Bans Logging and Mining Forever

The Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act of 2025 is a major land-use bill focused on permanently protecting significant portions of the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. In short, this bill creates one new federally protected Wilderness Area and three new Special Management Areas (SMAs), totaling over 13,000 acres, and explicitly bans commercial logging and mineral extraction across all these newly protected lands.

The Highest Level of Protection: Camp Hutchins Wilderness

First up, the bill designates approximately 750 acres as the Camp Hutchins Wilderness (SEC. 3). Wilderness designation is the gold standard of federal protection; it means the land will be managed under the strict rules of the Wilderness Act, which prioritizes keeping the area as untouched by human activity as possible. This section also mandates the closure of Forest Road 211 to all public vehicle traffic, converting it into a hiking trail. For hikers and backpackers, this is a win, offering a new, quiet trail. For anyone who relied on that road for motorized access, it’s a permanent closure.

Crucially, this entire area, along with the larger Special Management Areas, is withdrawn from public land laws, mining laws, and mineral leasing laws (SEC. 3, SEC. 5). If you’re in the mining or logging industries, this bill permanently takes these thousands of acres off the table for any future commercial resource extraction.

The Three New Special Management Zones

The bulk of the protection comes from establishing three large Special Management Areas (SMAs): Camp Hutchins SMA (2,953 acres), Ripple Hollow SMA (3,445 acres), and Burke Branch SMA (6,310 acres), bringing the total protected acreage to over 12,600 (SEC. 4). The purpose of these zones is comprehensive: conserving ecological, scenic, and wildlife resources, promoting biodiversity, and allowing for scientific study. The Secretary of Agriculture must create a detailed management plan for these areas within three years of the bill’s enactment.

Management in these SMAs is where the rubber meets the road—and where things get a little nuanced. While commercial timber harvesting is banned, the Forest Service is permitted to use tools like prescribed fire, herbicides, insecticides, and even mechanized equipment (chainsaws, ATVs, drones) to control invasive species, disease, or fire (SEC. 5). This means that while the goal is conservation, the Forest Service is given broad authority to actively manage the ecosystem, which is a departure from the hands-off approach of traditional Wilderness areas. If you’re a local conservation volunteer or a scientist, this opens the door for organized restoration efforts and research access.

Access and Land Ownership Changes

For hunters, the news is mixed. Hunting is still permitted in the SMAs, provided it complies with Illinois state law and Forest Service rules. However, the bill explicitly prohibits trapping in these areas, and hunters cannot use motorized vehicles for access (SEC. 5). If you’re a trapper, this closes off significant territory. If you’re a hunter, you’ll need to rely on foot traffic.

The bill also addresses private land parcels, or “inholdings,” located within the new protected boundaries. The Secretary is directed to acquire these private inholdings by purchase or exchange “as soon as feasible” (SEC. 5). While this is intended to consolidate the protected area, if you own one of these parcels, be aware that the government will be looking to buy you out, though the timeline is vague.