Why It Matters: The Fix Our Forests Act would expand authorities and collaborative tools to support forest restoration treatments in high priority firesheds to reduce severe wildfire risk. Reforming federal forests management is a top priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) to address the wildfire crisis by enabling the efficient implementation at scale of forest health and wildlife habitat improvement projects on public land important to sportsmen and women.
Highlights:
- More than 117 million acres of fire-prone forests on federal land threaten watersheds, fish and wildlife habitat, communities, and access for sportsmen and women.
- Already this year, 24,415 fires have burned more than 1,018,000 acres across the country, and the traditional wildfire season has not even started.
- The Fix Our Forests Act would increase forest resiliency by promoting science-based active forest management treatments through policy improvements long supported by the sportsmen’s community, including litigation reform, increased categorical exclusions acreages, and streamlined environmental reviews.
On May 6, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a legislative hearing on the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act (S. 1462). Sponsored by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Members Senators John Curtis, John Hickenlooper, Alex Padilla, and Tim Sheehy, S. 1462 is the Senate version of the House version of the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471), led by CSC Co-Chair Representative Bruce Westerman and also supported by CSF, which passed the House in January (279-141). CSF submitted a statement in support of S. 1462 and previously submitted a statement in support of H.R. 471 when the Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology held a hearing on H.R. 471 in March.
Acting Associate Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Chris French testified that the U.S. Department of Agriculture supports the legislation. French said, “USDA strongly supports streamlining NEPA procedures under the National Environmental Protect Act and expanding existing categorical exclusions to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health.” French also noted the importance of fixing the 2015 Cottonwood decision that has been used by environmental groups to delay critical forest restoration work and cited the increased project costs in Forest Service regions where habitat projects are regularly litigated. Additionally, French stated that the U.S. Forest Service annually harvests less than 1/10 of one percent across the entire National Forest System, which shows how little of the National Forest System is actively managed, underscoring the need for reforms.
CSF appreciates the Agriculture Committee for holding this timely hearing as we approach wildfire season. CSF additionally thanks the sponsors of both versions of the Fix Our Forests Act for their leadership on this important issue for the sportsmen’s community and looks forward to working with them to see the Fix Our Forests Act signed into law this year.
