On Wednesday, Representative Jay Obernolte (R-Yucca Valley) introduced the Salvaging American Lumber Via Action with Greater Efficiency (SALVAGE) Act to improve forest management and decrease the risk of wildfires by expediting salvage and reforestation operations on federal lands. The bill will give more flexibility and expediency to forest management on federal lands, helping to lower fire risks, decrease the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere, and protect communities across California and the West.
On Wednesday, Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) introduced the Forest Litigation Reform Act which would prevent litigation from impeding forest management practices needed to conserve forests and mitigate wildfire risk by streamlining the litigation process and creating an alternative dispute process to resolve claims against forestry management projects to be resolved through arbitration.
On Tuesday, Representative Mike Garcia (R-Palmdale) introduced the Protecting and Restoring Our Trees by Enhancing Conservation and Treatments (PROTECT) Act, which would help improve forest management by allowing for more flexibility for federal land managers to utilize active forest management methods, like prescribed burns, to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
