As wildfires grow more frequent and devastating, the need for efficient and effective forest management has never been greater.
At RGS & AWS, we’re gratified to see our elected leaders tackling this challenge head on. The Fix Our Forests Act, introduced recently in the U.S. House of Representative by Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) of the House Natural Resources Committee, represents a bold step forward in addressing one of the nation’s most pressing challenges: the health of forests and the communities that depend on them.
The bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, cosponsored by Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), aims to advance active forest management, support communities and increase resiliency to catastrophic wildfires. The legislation addresses this head-on by expanding federal stewardship contracts with partners to execute forest management projects. These contracts are not just bureaucratic measures – they’re the very definition of government efficiency, focusing on tangible results and real-world outcomes.
“The wildfires currently raging in California are a sobering reminder that extreme fire incidents are more frequent, intense and long running,” said Ben Jones, president and CEO of the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS). “The Fix Our Forests Act accelerates the pace and scale of federal forest management projects for healthy forests and healthy communities.”
Jones emphasized that the legislation exemplifies the power of collaboration. By facilitating partnerships among federal, state, tribal and private entities, the Fix Our Forests Act underscores the importance of market-driven solutions. These partnerships leverage state-of-the-art science and data to ensure forest management strategies are not only effective but also sustainable in the long term.
The Fix Our Forests Act also recognizes the critical role that forests play in supporting local communities. Healthy forests mean healthier habitats for wildlife, more resilient landscapes and stronger economies for rural areas. The outputs and outcomes of these efforts extend beyond environmental benefits, providing economic stability and opportunity in forested regions.
RGS & AWS, which has spent more than six decades promoting forest stewardship, views this legislation as a pivotal moment for conservation and forest management. Backed by a network of forestry professionals and conservationists, RGS & AWS works closely with the U.S. Forest Service and other stakeholders to achieve measurable results on the ground. Our experience with working agreements like stewardship contracts showcases how these innovative approaches can deliver practical outcomes.
Having previously passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 268-151 during the 118th Congress, the bill’s failure to gain traction in the Senate highlights the importance of renewed advocacy. Organizations like RGS & AWS are emphasizing to lawmakers the tangible benefits agreements like theirs bring to both people and the environment.
“We commend Chair Westerman and Representative Peters for introducing the Fix Our Forests Act,” Jones concluded, “and we urge the House and the Senate to advance the bill without delay.”
For the RGS & AWS, the Fix Our Forests Act represents a commitment to efficient, science-driven solutions that conserves forests and supports the communities that rely on them. With forest management challenges now compounded by climate change, which extends wildfire season length and increases frequency and total areas burned, this kind of proactive, collaborative approach is exactly what’s needed to ensure a sustainable future for forests, wildlife and people.
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