U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced legislation on Tuesday that would incentivize public-private partnerships, local input and active forest management practices on federal forest lands.
The Fostering Opportunities for Resources and Education Spending through Timber Sales (FORESTS) Act calls for forest active management areas (FAMAs) to be established in each unit of the National Forest System. The Forest Service would then be required to harvest at least half of the timber yield of FAMAs each year.
“When you think of the Pacific Northwest, chances are you think of our forests,” McMorris Rodgers said. ”But without proper management, this valuable resource is at risk of devastation.”
The FORESTS Act would also reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, which provides a portion of timber revenues from federal lands to support public schools and infrastructure in rural areas. Active management practices outlined in the bill would further benefit the SRS program, which has been hampered by declining timber production in recent decades.
McMorris Rodgers previously introduced an extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, which would extend the SRS program through fiscal year 2018.
“The FORESTS Act provides certainty for counties and school districts by reauthorizing the SRS program and encourages a common sense, collaborative approach to forest management that will empower communities, improve forest health, reduce wildfires and put people back to work,” McMorris Rodgers said.
The measure would encourage public-private partnerships by making changes to the legal process so that collaborative projects would be able to use arbitration to settle litigation.