Legislation Introduced to Improve Forest Management to Reduce Threats of Wildfires

Legislation Introduced to Improve Forest Management to Reduce Threats of Wildfires

Russell Nemetz
Russell Nemetz
The Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2019 pairs targeted forest management reforms with needed regulatory streamlining to dramatically improve the health and resiliency of forests and rangelands. The bill provides federal land management agencies immediate tools to increase the pace, scale and cost efficiency of forest management projects, without sacrificing environmental protections.

Similar legislation was introduced in the 115th Congress with bipartisan support, and several provisions were signed into law as part of the omnibus and Farm Bill packages.

The bill utilizes tools that the United States Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) can implement immediately to mitigate insect and disease infestation, prevent damage to municipal watersheds and critical infrastructure, quickly harvest wildfire-killed trees to pay for reforestation and improve the health of forests and grasslands to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire.

It also streamlines environmental reviews of projects for the removal of dead trees to pay for reforestation after large wildfires, requires an Environmental Assessment for a reforestation project, and encourages and speeds wildlife habitat improvement for wild turkey, ruffed grouse, elk, deer and other "early seral" forest-dependent species.

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