House passes misguided, anti-science forestry bill
Clearcutting from logging operations.
Mason Cummings, TWS
Fix our Forests Act, masqueraded as a wildfire solution, does nothing to protect communities threatened by wildfire
Washington D.C. -- Today, the House of Representatives passed the Fix Our Forests Act, brought to the floor by Representative Bruce Westerman, Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. While the legislation claims to be about forest management and fire, it could actually make our forests less resilient to climate-driven wildfire, while shutting out public voices, removing science from land management decisions, and legislating a large-scale rollback of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on millions of acres of federal lands.
In response to the news, The Wilderness Society issued the following statement:
“The House just passed a senseless, anti-science forestry bill, masqueraded as a wildfire solution, that would open millions of acres of federal lands to logging and pad the pocketbooks of extractive industries,” said Jordan Schreiber, Government Relations Director of The Wilderness Society. “Never has it been so important to find solutions to extreme, climate-driven wildfire. Cutting out public voices, removing science from land management decisions, and rolling back critical environmental safeguards isn’t the answer. The Senate must oppose this misguided legislation and look to finding real solutions for our communities and forests in a warming climate.”
The Fix Our Forests Act includes the following problematic provisions:
- Opens millions of acres of federal land to logging without scientific review and community input;
- Increases the number of miles of permanent logging roads and removing large old trees that naturally confer fire resilience;
- Removes Environmental Species Act consultation requirements designed to prevent harm to imperiled species; and
- Severely restricts the public’s right to access our courts, effectively eliminating the public from seeking justice and holding federal agencies accountable.
Warmer, drier, and longer fire seasons will continue, but we know what we need to do to help save irreplaceable forests and protect communities at risk of wildfire catastrophes. Congress should take up the recommendations put forth by the bi-partisan Wildland Mitigation and Management Commission in its 2023 Report, which recommends common-sense solutions that will protect our communities and forests. This includes increasing access to federal grant funding for community defense measures and home hardening projects, increasing compensation for our federal wildland fire workforce, investing in fuels reduction treatments across all land ownerships especially the use of controlled burns, and investing in early warning technology like satellite ignition identification.
To connect with The Wilderness Society’s forest policy experts, contact Emily Denny, Communications Manager, edenny@tws.org
