U.S. Forest Service Chief Testifies before Senate Appropriations Subcommittee

The Senate Appropriations Interior and the Environment Subcommittee held a hearing on the President’s FY18 Budget proposal for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).  During the hearing, USFS Chief Tom Tidwell stated that he was confident timber sales from national forests will increase during the next fiscal year, despite proposed budget cuts for the USFS.  

Several Senators have expressed concerns about the decline in timber sales, and the impact of these declining sales have on their schools and communities in their states.  Senators on both sides of the aisle also expressed concerns about the proposed funding cuts, as well as frustration that the budget did not include a plan to fix the practice of fire borrowing.