The past several weeks produced a rapid succession of executive orders and legislative activity that RGS & AWS has influenced on your behalf as wildlife conservationists and hunters.
We met with the recently appointed chief of the U.S. Forest Service and other administration officials, as well as congressional members of both parties in the House and Senate about the urgency for action in forest habitats. Our advocacy, alongside that of many partners, is behind the actions of the administration and Congress.
Here is how all this affects sound management of our nation’s forests, our ability to deliver healthy wildlife habitat and opportunities to access and enjoy the great outdoors.
Timber Production on National Forests
Anyone who hunts on national forests or, further, who has labored in public debates over their management knows how difficult that process can be, no matter how evident the positive impacts are for habitat and access.
Earlier this month, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins established an emergency situation determination on more than 112 million acres of national forest that will enable the Forest Service to advance sustainable forest management work. Declaring this emergency itself is an achievement. Millions of forest acres are threatened by poor health, insects, disease and fire, let alone the loss of habitat that is well documented by RGS & AWS and the nation’s leading ecologists.
The urgency to complete good habitat projects can be lost in lengthy process followed by litigation, often taking many years on a single project. We’re hopeful that the secretary’s memo will set into motion habitat restoration that’s long overdue – restoration that’s environmentally sustainable and supported by decades of research.
Secretary Rollins’ announcement follows an executive order from President Trump to expand American timber production by 25%. We say it often – habitat management at scale relies on the forest industry, and demand for forest products helps us accomplish habitat work that also sustains local communities. Recognition by the administration that forest products are an important part of our nation’s economic health is a welcome development.
An order supporting forest product markets is a good concept that can help support wildlife, access and communities within and around federal lands. RGS & AWS will continue to ensure that our voices are heard and that healthy habitat will be the outcome.
Standing up for Our Public Lands
Our commitment to supporting healthy forests – and to conserving wildlife habitat – goes hand-in-hand with keeping public lands secure and making management more efficient. As efficient management has become a priority, we are concerned that the security of public lands has become a question. Statements from policy makers have suggested various ideas for selling public lands. We, again alongside many partners, are impressing on key decision makers that our community’s values must guide public land policy.
We fundamentally oppose any public lands sales or policies that result in net loss of grouse and woodcock habitat, publicly accessible land and America’s worldwide example of conservation supported by an estate held in trust for the entire country.
We’re hearing from you, our members, that these issues matter. “I can’t think of one grouse hunter that I know who does not hunt on public land,” a recent member told us candidly. “For us to lose access to these public lands where we grouse hunt would be catastrophic.”
We couldn’t agree more. We’re in ongoing discussions on a bipartisan basis to ensure that we increase public access and conservation value, not lose it.
Improving Efficiency Through Market-Driven Forest Management
Our forests play a vital role, not just for hunting and for wildlife, but also in supporting local communities. Healthy forests mean healthier habitats, more resilient landscapes and stronger economies for rural areas. As wildfires grow more frequent and devastating, the need for efficient and effective forest management has never been greater.
Legislation currently being considered by Congress, the Fix Our Forests Act, would tackle these challenges head on.
Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year by Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) of the House Natural Resources Committee with Rep Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and a long list of bipartisan members, the Fix Our Forests Act represents a bold step forward in addressing the health of forests and the communities that depend on them.
Now, with a companion bill introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Fix Our Forests is bicameral and even more bipartisan.
The Fix Our Forests Act comprehensively improves wildfire risk, forest health projects, community fire safety, research, reforestation and agency coordination. We commend our elected leaders for their commitment toward advancing this common sense, results-oriented legislation, and we urge Congress to advance it to the president’s desk without delay.
It can be tough right now to keep track of all that’s going on in the world. You can trust that RGS & AWS is deeply involved in conservation issues and that, more than ever, we are committed to ensuring healthy forests, abundant wildlife and a conservation ethic.
Be part of the habitat solution! Join, renew or give a gift membership in RGS & AWS today.
