Poisoning the Forest for the Trees
Reveal
The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX
4.7 • 8.7K Ratings
🗓️ 25 April 2026
⏱️ 53 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The forest floor was nothing but patches of brown. No ferns, no brush, no flowers, and definitely no wildlife. Everything was dead except for rows of hand-planted baby trees.
This is what reporter Nate Halverson found while mushroom foraging in the California wilderness near Lassen Peak. He would learn the area had been sprayed with the controversial weed killer glyphosate, more commonly known by its brand name, Roundup.
This week on Reveal, Halverson’s yearlong investigation reveals that the US Forest Service and timber companies are spraying glyphosate in record amounts in California’s forests in an effort to regrow timberland that’s been decimated by years of megafires.
“The wedding of the chemical industry and the Forest Service has got to be seriously and deeply looked at,” Craig Thomas, a fire restoration expert, says about the spraying. The Forest Service is “addicted to herbicide use and glyphosate, and we need to get them into rehab.”
Read: We Are Bombarding America’s Forests With Roundup (Mother Jones)
Watch: The Secret Plan to Cover the World in Herbicide (Mother Jones)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Josh Sandburn, producer at Reveal. |
| 0:03.3 | This episode is made possible by support from the U.S. Climate Action Network. |
| 0:07.4 | The fight for our planet is too big for anyone to tackle alone. |
| 0:11.1 | That's why the U.S. Climate Action Network acts as a backbone for the climate movement, |
| 0:15.7 | from convening strategy sessions to ensuring frontline communities are at the decision-making table. |
| 0:21.2 | Together with their members and listeners like you, U.S. Can is building a collective force for justice |
| 0:26.6 | that's far greater than the sum of its parts. |
| 0:29.5 | Find your place in the movement at usclimate network.org. |
| 0:36.0 | Want to make a lasting difference to reveal and protect independent journalism right now? |
| 0:42.2 | It won't cost you a thing. |
| 0:44.5 | Hi, it's Jane Butcher from Boulder, Colorado. |
| 0:47.8 | I've spent my life fighting for justice, which is why I'm a longtime supporter of Reveal |
| 0:53.4 | and the Center for Investigative Reporting. |
| 0:56.2 | I'm stepping up to protect the future of fearless, independent journalism, and you can too |
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| 1:29.5 | join me or want to learn more, please reach out to Gifts at RevealNews.org. Again, that's Gifts |
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| 1:46.0 | Stand up for the truth today. |
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