WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering an international challenge to Peru’s deforestation of the Amazon, the first time the United States has prepared to act against a trading partner for violating environmental standards in a trade agreement, according to people with knowledge of the proposed action.

In a signal to Democrats that he is willing to act aggressively on issues they consider important, the United States trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, is considering challenging Peru’s decision to dismantle an agency created to stop the illegal harvesting of trees in the Amazon rain forest under the 2007 United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement.

The United States could request the convening of an independent tribunal as soon as Friday to decide the case, officials said, but cautioned that the timeline could shift.

The potential action, which comes as President Trump systematically scales back protections of wilderness areas in the United States, could have significant consequences for the new North American trade agreement under scrutiny by the incoming Democratic majority in the House.