Why It Matters: As wildfires continue to destroy communities and degrade forests and wildlife habitat, comprehensive forest management legislation to accelerate forest restoration is needed to improve the health of the 117-million acres of fire-prone federal lands. The bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act would be the first significant stand-alone forest management bill passed since 2003.
Highlights:
- The Fix Our Forests Act would reform forest management policies to mitigate against severe wildfires by emphasizing science-based forest management practices to improve forest health and wildlife habitat.
- The legislation would enact several longstanding priorities for the sportsmen’s community, notably litigation reform and clarifying consultation requirements for federal land management agencies to remedy the 2015 Cottonwood decision that has hindered forest restoration projects with time-consuming process hurdles that provide no conservation benefit.
- In 2024, wildfires burned almost 9 million acres across the country, negatively impacting communities, forests, fish and wildlife habitat, and sportsmen’s access.
On April 10, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Members Senators John Curtis, John Hickenlooper, Alex Padilla, and Tim Sheehy introduced the Fix Our Forests Act (S. 1462). The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) supports the legislation. The House version of the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471), also supported by CSF and led by CSC Co-Chair Representative Bruce Westerman, passed the House on a strong bipartisan 279-141 vote in January.
While the House and Senate versions differ in some respects, the bills are largely similar and aim to improve forest management policies to reduce severe wildfire risk and increase forest resiliency. Key provisions include the designation of fireshed management areas where active management projects would be prioritized through expedited authorities, increased acreage limitations on several categorical exclusions to treat hazardous fuels efficiently and at scale, litigation reform, and a Cottonwood fix. To reduce fuel loads with partner support, the legislation also expands collaborative tools, including, among others, the Good Neighbor Authority, stewardship contracting, and the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership program, and ensures that cross-boundary prescribed fire projects are prioritized.
CSF is thankful for the leadership of Senators Curtis, Hickenlooper, Padilla, and Sheehy on this pressing issue for sportsmen and women and communities in the wildland-urban interface. The Fix Our Forests Act is critical to conserving fish and wildlife habitat and supporting the sporting traditions of the millions of hunters and anglers that recreate on federal public lands. CSF looks forward to working with the House and Senate to pass comprehensive federal forest management reform legislation this Congress.
