Reps. Salinas, Huffman Lead 18 Colleagues in Demanding Answers from Forest Service on Failure to Clear Hazardous Waste

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry & Horticulture, alongside Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, led 18 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz to question him about the Forest Service's inadequate hazardous fuels reduction performance this year, which is critical for wildfire prevention and mitigation.

The letter expresses concerns about the critical risk of wildfires, the responsibility of the Forest Service to clear hazardous fuels, and its failure to meet that responsibility.

The lawmakers pressed for clear and timely answers to their questions about the Forest Service's work to clear hazardous waste and keep communities safe.

Click hereor see below for the full letter:

Dear Chief Schultz,

We write with significant concern regarding the poor performance for hazardous fuels reduction by the Forest Service this year. According to Forest Service data and external reports, the agency achieved only about half the amount of work that it projected to accomplish and less than half the amount of work done in Fiscal Year 2024. We ask that you explain the reason for this poor performance, including whether hazardous fuels reduction personnel and resources were diverted to other agency actions, and the steps that you will take to fix this problem in Fiscal Year 2026.

Hazardous fuel reduction-the clearing of shrubs, brush and small trees that contribute to catastrophic wildfire-is a core responsibility of the Forest Service. Decades of aggressive fire suppression have led to fire-prone public forests that are vulnerable to fire, insects, disease, and drought, problems which are only exacerbated by a warming climate. A critical tool to help address this problem and prevent wildfires from destroying homes and communities is hazardous fuels reduction, and yet the Administration is failing at this critical task.

The scale and scope of the problem is exactly why Congress provided the Forest Service with more than $10 billion for forest restoration work and another $1 billion for the forestry and fire workforce in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Using these funds, the previous administration accomplished a record breaking 4.2 million acres of hazardous fuels reduction in 2024. For 2025, the agency projected 4 million acres of further projects, but it has accomplished only around 2 million acres total. The number of acres treated are down from last year's totals in every state and for every month in Fiscal Year 2025.

Put simply, hazardous fuels reduction projects are essential to keeping our forests healthy and our communities safe. They should be among the highest priorities of the Forest Service. Please provide answers to the following questions:

1. How many acres of hazardous fuels reduction projects were completed by the Forest Service in Fiscal Year 2025? Please indicate the Forest Service region as well as the type of treatment for each project.
2. If the amount of hazardous fuels reduction acres for Fiscal Year 2025 was lower than the acres treated in Fiscal Year 2021, before the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) was enacted, please explain how the BIL funds for FY25 were spent.
3. How many Forest Service personnel who worked on hazardous fuels reduction projects in calendar year 2024 or before were placed on involuntary administrative leave in calendar year 2025? How many opted into the Deferred Resignation Program or took an early retirement incentive? How many were fired as probationary employees?
4. How many Forest Service personnel who worked on hazardous fuels reduction projects in calendar year 2024 or before were reassigned to commercial timber projects or other positions within the Forest Service?
5. What is your target for commercial timber and hazardous fuels reduction for Fiscal Year 2026?
6. Please provide your plan to ensure that hazardous fuels reduction is prioritized in the coming fiscal year, especially since Executive Order 13855 is still in force.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. The work of the Forest Service remains a critical government function to steward public lands and protect American communities

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