Key Forestry Bill Moves Through the Senate

Serving as the only licensed forester in Congress provides many unique opportunities to work on legislation that brings a commonsense and conservative approach to forest management across the nation. Additionally, it is a great privilege to serve as the Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. In this committee, the stewardship of our public lands remains a top priority for all its members, and this week, great steps were made to push our committee’s Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) closer to the finish line and the President’s desk to be signed into law.

The House Natural Resources Committee is a legislative workhorse in the 119th Congress, having successfully passed more bills out of the House than any other committee in the lower chamber. This achievement speaks acutely to the fantastic staff and my colleagues on the dais who work tirelessly to create legislation from streamlining the permitting process to working with our 574 federally recognized Indian tribes to improve self-determination policies. But at the heart of nearly every hearing, markup, and bill is the importance of protecting and maintaining our public lands.

From coast to coast, our nation is blessed with incredible, beautiful forests, and it is our duty to be good stewards of these resources so we can pass our blessings to future generations. The Fix Our Forests Act can be the catalyst for better forest management, resulting in the prevention and mitigation of uncontrollable wildfires. As the first bill passed out of the House in the 119th Congress, my committee continues to cheer for its progress while it makes its way through the Senate.

As is standard whenever legislation passes over from one chamber to the other, a group of bipartisan Senators introduced their version of FOFA in April, where it has been awaiting markup in the House Ag Committee, led by Senator Boozman, until this week. It was exciting to sit in on the hearing where various amendments and proposals to the legislation were discussed. One such change is from the House version’s legal claims limit of 120 days to the Senate’s establishment of 150 days. Ultimately, the bill was passed and is now on its way to the Senate floor for a final vote.

While few changes were made, it was encouraging to see that the basic framework we started with in the House remains the same. I am grateful for the work my friend and fellow Arkansan, Senator Boozman, has done in the Senate on behalf of this vital piece of legislation, and for providing the opportunity to have been involved in the discussions on the proposed changes. 

It’s time for better forest management practices on the ground – not only in Arkansas, but across the hundreds of millions of federal forests across the United States. With Senate passage, those who constantly face the dangers of wildfires and communities who rely on the forest products industry to provide for their families will be much better protected, see greater restoration of forest health, and receive much-needed help for protecting the communities located in wildland urban interfaces.