Reckless forestry bill is back and up for Senate consideration

Washington D.C. -- Yesterday, the Fix Our Forests Act was introduced in the Senate.

In response to the Senate bill introduction, The Wilderness Society issued the following statement: 

“As we approach wildfire season, we can all agree that we need real solutions to protect our forests and communities. But let's be clear: more logging in the backcountry, more roads, less public input and fewer environmental safeguards isn't the solution," said Josh Hicks, Conservation Campaign Director. "The Fix Our Forests Act isn’t what our national forests and communities need. Bipartisan work in Congress should instead focus on stopping this Administration from firing thousands of public servants in the US Forest Service -- the very people our country relies upon to manage our forests and protect our communities.” 

By focusing on the Fix Our Forests Act, Senators are choosing the wrong approach at the wrong time with the Trump Administration in office. The Senate version includes the following problematic provisions: 

• Categorically excludes a variety of logging projects across as much as 15.6 square miles of National Forest lands from requirements for public input and scientific analysis. 
• Severely limits the window for seeking judicial review to just 150 days, which is typically 6 years – meaning the public has little time to learn about a project and ensure it complies with the law. 
• Retains poison pill language to undo the Cottonwood decision, which requires the Forest Service to reinitiate forest planning consultation when a new endangered species or critical habitat are found. 
• Excludes any funding for the U.S. Forest Service to tackle the wildfire crisis in a meaningful way. 

The Senate bill introduction follows the “emergency” Secretarial Memo, which commits the USDA to logging public forests regardless of environmental damage, and President Trump’s reckless Executive Order “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production.” Together, these actions represent a multi-pronged attack to massively reduce capacity at the Forest Service to fight the wildfire crisis and properly manage our National Forests.  

We urge the Senate Agriculture Committee to make significant improvements to ensure public participation, compliance with the rule of law, and science-based management of our forests.  

To contact The Wilderness Society’s forest policy experts and scientists, contact Emily Denny, Communications Manager at edenny@tws.org