On Wednesday the House of Representatives passed the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017, a bill to prevent wildfires through proactive and targeted forest management as well as implementation of a more responsible funding stream.
U.S. Reps. Kristi Noem (R-SD), Greg Walden (R-OR), and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) joined in supporting the legislation. The bill was introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR).
H.R. 2936 would permanently end the practice of transferring forest-management funds to firefighting, or “wildfire borrowing,” by allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to transfer funds to the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Among other provisions, the bill would also streamline environmental review to speed reforestation, and support collaborative efforts among local governments and stakeholders and land managers.
“The years-long pine beetle epidemic has turned much of the Black Hills into a tinder box,” said Noem. “We are fortunate to have so many dedicated foresters working in this area, and I’m proud to have scored some critical victories in support of their efforts over the years. The Resilient Federal Forests Act would put additional tools at their disposal.”
The bill also modernizes the Secure Rural Schools & Community Self-Determination Act, which allows rural counties, including Custer County and others in Noem’s home state of South Dakota, to have greater flexibility over how they choose to use critical funding under the Secure Rural Schools program. While Congress stipulates that a portion of revenues from timber harvests on federal lands go to affected counties to support schools, roads and other services, that funding has declined as timber harvests have shrunk.
“This is a great news for many schools in the Black Hills,” said Mark Naugle, superintendent of Custer School District in South Dakota. “This legislation will help to make up for the decrease in revenue from local timber harvesting. It will also help to offset the impact of federal ownership of property in local school districts.”
Walden, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the bill would help in Oregon by removing the prohibition on harvesting trees more than 21 inches in diameter that has burdened forest managers.
“My intensity on this issue is almost that of the fires we fight,” added Walden, who has taken a leading role in forest management reform efforts following a devastating wildfire season for western states. “We can reduce the size and intensity of fire up to 70 percent, if we do the kinds of projects that thin out the forests and allow us to better manage and be better stewards of our federal forests that are contemplated as a result of this legislation.”
Thompson, who serves on both the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committees, said the common sense legislation would help not only reduce the threat of wildfires, but also insect and disease infestation and damage to municipal watersheds.
“Our national forests are becoming increasingly overgrown with hazardous fuel due to lack of active management,” Thompson said. The bill is “a vital piece of legislation for the Forest Service, allowing for more authority and flexibility for improved forest management.”
Westerman urged ending the practice of borrowing funds to pay to fight wildfires and for treating wildfires as natural disasters funded through recovery efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“This year has proven to be another catastrophic year for wildfires. Dozens of lives have been lost, thousands of homes destroyed and millions of acres burned. Congress spoke today and said enough is enough,” Westerman said.