The Trump administration will weigh in this week on the latest proposed overhaul of federal forest management, including stepped-up thinning and more support for community wildfire preparation.
The Senate Agriculture Committee holds a hearing Tuesday on the “Fix Our Forests Act,” a modified version of a long-standing House effort led by Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and others.
Senators added several provisions to boost community wildfire preparation, prescribed fire and other goals. The basic outline of the legislation remains to increase thinning and related activities, including timber harvesting, on designated “firesheds” deemed at highest wildfire risk.
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) is the lead sponsor in the Senate, joined by Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). The Forest Service’s acting associate chief, Chris French, is scheduled to testify for the agency.
