LaMalfa Opening Statement: “Promoting Forest Health and Resiliency Through Improved Active Management.”

LaMalfa Opening Statement: "Promoting Forest Health and Resiliency Through Improved Active Management."

House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) delivered the following opening statement at today's subcommittee hearing, "Promoting Forest Health and Resiliency Through Improved Active Management."

Remarks as prepared:

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to today's Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee hearing titled "Promoting Forest Health and Resiliency Through Improved Active Management."

Today we will be hearing from a panel of witnesses to discuss the national forest system, state and private forests, and the many issues before the U.S Forest Service and communities located in forested areas.

Today's hearing is also an opportunity to receive feedback on these important issues and recommendations on what Congress can do to encourage more active management of our forests to restore them, improve forest health, encourage the use of more forest products, and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire in areas that are at highest risk of these ever-present disasters.

That last part is especially important. In the West, we continue to witness devastating wildfires year after year as millions of acres of forestland are burned annually. The loss of forests, homes and property, and unfortunately lives continues to be a challenge we constantly face in the West.

The increased severity and impacts of wildfires is the result of inadequate management, and in some cases, outright mismanagement of our forest lands over decades.

In this year alone, more than 47,000 wildfires in the U.S. have burned more than 4 million acres of land. As of yesterday, we have some 66 large fires currently burning in 12 states; including Idaho, California, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and several others.

Earlier in the year, we saw the unprecedented urban fires in southern California, which was an unfortunate example of what can happen if we aren't prepared for these threats. What was once a fire season, is now more of a fire year.

Even now fires rage across the northern and eastern parts of my district, burning thousands of acres of land in devastating wildfires that ultimately are preventable.

This is a crisis and more needs to be done to increase the pace and scale of forest management and reduce the levels of hazardous fuels across our forests.

We need every tool in the toolbox; and we need to be thinking about partnerships and management on a much larger scale than we have in the past.

I appreciate many of the actions that the Trump administration has taken this year to do just that. Specifically, the identification of new acreage in need of treatment and plans to ramp up the use of emergency authorities are good starts.

Another promising initiative is the effort to increase timber harvest levels above the current targets. For decades, harvesting in the national forest system has remained far below previous levels, and below the amount authorized in current plans.

Increasing those goals will help support forest products, rural communities, and the overall management of the national forest system.

With that all in mind, Congress still has much more to do to support the agency, the States, counties, Tribes, and other partners to accelerate forest management.

Last year's House farm bill - the Farm, Food and National Security Act - provided a variety of new tools and authorities intended to expand partnerships, continue cross-boundary management, improve environmental processes, and help grow new markets for forest products.

These are positive reforms that will help land managers restore our forests and protect communities by reducing the threat of wildfire.

I support these reforms and am hopeful this Committee and Congress will soon pass a new farm bill and see these many improvements signed into law.

Thank you to all of our witnesses for being here today. Your experience and testimony are invaluable as this Committee and Congress consider ways to better manage our forests and truly improve wildfire conditions.

I'd also like to specifically acknowledge Dr. Carrie Monohan with the Mooretown Rancheria for traveling all the way from California to be here today.

Welcome to all of our witnesses, and we look forward to your testimony and perspectives.

With that, I will yield to Ranking Member Salinas for any opening remarks she would like to provide.