House subcommittee to hold hearing on forest management bills

On Thursday, May 21, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a hearing on several bills, many of which would make important changes to how federal forest land is managed.

For example, H.R. 8682, the Accelerating Forest Management Act from Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT), would make it easier to conduct salvage harvesting. Salvage harvesting — the removal of dead or dying trees after wildfires or other disturbances — is an important forest management tool that can improve forest conditions and generate positive economic returns. The bill would codify a categorical exclusion under the National Environment Policy Act for salvage harvesting of up to 5,000 acres on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Another bill under consideration is Rep. Harriet Hageman’s (R-WY) H.R. 7695, which would rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule. This rule effectively mandates 58.2 million acres of National Forest System (NFS) land to be preserved similarly to wilderness areas. This not only prevents important active management that improves forest conditions, but also conflicts with the original vision of the NFS lands: providing resources such as timber and minerals that support human flourishing.

For more on these, and other bills being considered at the hearing on Thursday, as well as the list of witnesses, see here.