The Senate Energy and Natural Resource’s Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining held a hearing today to discuss several forest management bills including the “National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act” (S. 1691) introduced by Senator Barrasso (R-WY).  

The bill would expedite and prioritize forest management activities to restore forest health, decrease wildfires, and support rural communities.  During the hearing, several Senators indicated that much more work needs to be done on our Nation’s forests.  Additionally, they raised concerns that litigation and endangered species designations have hurt rural communities who rely on forest production.  The lack of forest management has led to a more susceptible environment to catastrophic wildfires, resulting in a need for forest policy reform and the implementation of additional preventative wildfire measures.