BILLINGS, Mont. — The Biden administration on Tuesday abruptly dropped its nascent plan to protect old-growth forests after getting pushback from Republicans and the timber industry. The move was announced by U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore in a letter to forest supervisors.

It brings a sudden end to a yearslong process to craft a nationwide plan that would better protect old trees that are increasingly threatened by climate change. The effort had been supported by some conservationists as one of the most significant forest preservation efforts in decades.

President Joe Biden launched the initiative with an executive order in 2022. The proposal had been through extensive public comment periods and analyses. It was due to be finalized any day. The plan would have limited logging in old-growth forests, with exceptions to allow logging in some areas to protect against wildfires.

But those exceptions were not enough for the timber industry and Republicans in Congress who bitterly opposed the administration’s proposal.

— The Associated Press