Federal Appeals Court Weighs Reviving Oregon Timber Antitrust Case

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is considering whether to reinstate an antitrust lawsuit alleging that an Eastern Oregon logging company and sawmill suppressed competition in the Malheur National Forest, Capital Press reported (11-7-25).

The Malheur Forest Fairness Coalition—representing a rival sawmill, loggers, and landowners—argues the case was wrongly dismissed last year and is urging the appellate court to allow it to proceed.

The coalition contends that Iron Triangle, a logging company, and Malheur Lumber Co., a sawmill based in John Day, Oregon, used “monopoly” power in the markets for softwood logs, harvest services, and forest treatments.