Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) today highlighted growing support for the Fix Our Forests Act from governors, state and local officials, community leaders, and industry stakeholders. The bipartisan legislation, introduced earlier this year, combats catastrophic wildfires, restores forest ecosystems, and streamlines federal forest management to be more efficient and responsive.
The Fix Our Forests Act is supported by Utah Governor Spencer Cox; Colorado Governor Jared Polis; California Governor Gavin Newsom; American Property Casualty Insurance Association; California Natural Resources Agency; Climate and Wildfire Institute; Utah Farm Bureau Federation; The Nature Conservancy; Association for Firetech Innovation and Convective Capital; Federation of American Scientists; National Audubon Society; Berkshire Hathaway Energy; Arnold Ventures; Utah Department of Natural Resources; The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC); Colorado Department of Natural Resources; Colorado State Forest Service; Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; National Wild Turkey Federation; National Wildlife Federation; Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions; American Forests; Colorado Rural Electric Association; Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation; Western Governors’ Association; National Association of State Departments of Agriculture; National Association of State Foresters; United Power; Rocky Mountain Elk; Citizen’ Climate Lobby; Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control; Bipartisan Policy Center Action; International Association of Fire Chiefs; Alliance for Wildfire Resilience; Wildfire Alliance; Tall Timbers; Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition; The Stewardship Project; Megafire Action; California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; Hispanics Enjoy Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors; Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society; State of Utah; Environmental Defense Fund; Rural County Representatives of California; Salesforce; Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility; C2ES; U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Colorado State Fire Chiefs Wildland Section; Colorado Water Congress; Coalition of 22 Wildfire Organizations; National Water Resources Association
What They Are Saying:
“A century of fire suppression and decades of reduced forest management have left us with overgrown, unhealthy forests that are more vulnerable to disease and catastrophic wildfire. Thanks to Senator Curtis’s strong leadership on the Fix Our Forests Act, along with the tools provided by President Trump’s executive order, we’re now equipped to do the critical work our forests need. This bill will help us protect watersheds, enhance wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk, and provide the timber we need to build strong homes and neighborhoods.” — Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah
“Extreme risk of catastrophic wildfires across the West demands urgent action. In California, we’re fast-tracking projects by streamlining state requirements and using more fuel breaks and prescribed fire. The Fix Our Forests Act is a step forward that will build on this progress — enabling good projects to happen faster on federal lands. I’m appreciative of Senators Padilla and Schiff and the bipartisan team of Senators who crafted a balanced solution that will both protect communities and improve the health of our forests.” — Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
“I applaud the bipartisan work and leadership of the Senate sponsors of this bill, including Colorado’s Senator Hickenlooper, in crafting a bill that will make Colorado communities safer amidst the urgent and growing wildfire crisis in the West. From supporting responsible and expedited on-the-ground fuel reductions, to bolstering the use and development of the latest wildfire satellite monitoring technology which compliments Colorado’s national leadership in the aerospace sector, and to investing in stewardship practices for local communities to be better prepared for wildfires and reforestation efforts with the state nursery to improve our ability to recover – this bill makes major strides in addressing the country’s wildfire risk and will support Colorado’s continued leadership in wildfire preparedness, response and recovery.” — Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado
“As the megafire crisis grows larger and more severe with each fire season, we need policy solutions that reflect the urgency and scale of the problem. Senators Curtis, Hickenlooper, Padilla and Sheehy have negotiated a Senate companion to the Fix Our Forests Act that will move the federal government towards a science-based, strategic approach to addressing megafires. We look forward to working with the sponsors to advance this bill and enact the most transformative wildfire and land management law in a generation — since the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003, if not the National Forest Management Act of 1976.” — Matt Weiner, CEO, Megafire Action
“Wildfires continue to ravage communities igniting homes, businesses, and infrastructure. APCIA commends Senators Curtis, Hickenlooper, Sheehy, and Padilla for their bipartisan leadership of the Fix Our Forests Act. The bill would improve fire assessment and prediction for wildland areas and communities to improve response, reduce hazardous fuels, enable greater vegetation management by utilities in federal rights-of-way to prevent fires, and create a community wildfire risk reduction program to support fire-resistant building methods, codes, and standards, promote ignition-resistant materials, defensible space, and other measures to reduce risk.” — David A. Sampson, President and CEO, American Property Casualty Insurance Association
“About half of our lands in California are publicly owned and managed by the federal government,” explained California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “So, reducing catastrophic wildfire risk clearly relies on helping our federal lands become healthier and more resilient to fire. This bipartisan Fix our Forests Act does just this, removing barriers to get more good work done across our federal lands more quickly. This act represents an opportunity for an all-lands, all-hands approach that is urgently needed at this moment.” — Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency
“CWI commends Senator Curtis, Senator Hickenlooper, Senator Sheehy, and Senator Padilla for their bipartisan efforts to meaningfully address the wildfire crisis. The Fix Our Forest Act is an important step towards accelerating proven solutions to reduce catastrophic fire risk, improve forest and ecosystem health, and safeguard our local communities. We are pleased to see many recommendations from the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Report included in the updated legislation, including a directive to establish the Wildfire Intelligence Center to serve as the national hub for wildfire data, prediction, and response. We look forward to working with the bill’s sponsors to help accelerate solutions to the wildfire crisis by incorporating the best available science, data, and management principles into commonsense policy reform and decision-making.” — Marissa Christiansen, Executive Director, Climate and Wildfire Institute
“Utah’s farmers and ranchers applaud Senator Curtis’ sponsorship of the ‘Fix Ours Forests Act’, which will enhance forest health, reduce wildfire risks, and protect vital watersheds. We are particularly encouraged by provisions promoting locally-led restoration efforts, targeted grazing as a wildfire mitigation tool, and watershed protection strategies. The Utah Farm Bureau appreciates the bill’s emphasis on active forest management and increasing the pace and scale of treatment projects to address catastrophic wildfire risks. The ‘Fix Our Forests Act’ represents a significant step toward healthier forests and safer communities.” — Valjay Rigby, President, Utah Farm Bureau Federation
“TNC appreciates the serious undertaking of Senators Curtis, Hickenlooper, Sheehy, and Padilla to build on legislation targeted at preventing more catastrophic wildfires through improved forest and fuels management and expanded use of prescribed fire. TNC has been working to restore beneficial fire and improve the resilience of forest systems on the ground for more than 60 years. Every year, wildfires continue to grow deadlier and more devastating to communities and the environment, and we remain concerned that the significant cuts to the Forest Service workforce will impede work to protect people and nature from these wildfire risks. We support this legislative effort aimed at improving the forest management process to better address catastrophic wildfires.” — Kameran Onley, Managing Director of North America Policy and Government relations, The Nature Conservancy
“AFI supports the Fix our Forests Act and calls on the United States Senate to pass it with the urgency the $100 billion a year wildfire crisis warrants from our elected officials. AFI is particularly supportive of the legislation’s inclusion of a Wildfire Intelligence Center, a long-overdue step to better integrate and coordinate wildfire response efforts and invest in cutting-edge technology. Our country’s wildfire response efforts are antiquated and are leaving us ill-prepared for this growing crisis. FOFA is a critical step to refining our wildfire response efforts and protecting our communities.” — Bill Clerico, Founding Chair of the Association for Firetech Innovation (AFI) and Managing Partner of Convective Capital, Association for Firetech Innovation and Convective Capital
“As FAS continues to emphasize, failing to address the root causes of devastating wildfires is a policy choice. And it’s a choice we can no longer afford. Swift passage of the Fix Our Forests Act in the Senate would put us on track to better manage the entire wildfire lifecycle of prevention, suppression, and recovery, including through smart and systematic use of science and technology for decision support.” — Daniel Correa, Chief Executive Officer, Federation of American Scientists
“The science is clear: tackling the wildfire crisis requires better forest management, increasing the use of prescribed fire, and investing in and deploying the next generation of wildfire technologies. The Fix Our Forests Act will get this urgently needed work done. Now is the time for the Senate to build on the bipartisan leadership demonstrated by the sponsors and pass this bill.” — James Campbell, Wildfire Policy Specialist, Federation of American Scientists
“Wildfires grow more intense and destructive each year, leaving behind immense devastation for our forests, wildlife, and communities. The bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act represents an important step in reducing wildfire risks across forested landscapes. Audubon thanks Senators Hickenlooper, Curtis, Padilla, and Sheehy for working together to craft a bill that sets the stage for improved forest management, and we urge Congress to dedicate the resources necessary to ensure federal agencies are well-equipped to reduce wildfire risks, steward our forestlands, and protect wildlife habitat.” — Marshall Johnson, Chief Conservation Officer, National Audubon Society
“Berkshire Hathaway Energy applauds the Senate introduction of the Fix Our Forests Act and thanks the bipartisan group of Senators who worked together to move it forward. The bill’s provisions would improve forest management activities on federal and tribal lands in common-sense ways, improving their resilience to wildfire. Passage and enactment of these provisions would be a step to help prevent catastrophic wildfires and lessen their environmental damage. Berkshire Hathaway Energy recognizes the growing threat of wildfires affects everyone and requires holistic solutions with businesses, governments and key stakeholders working together to design and implement constructive, enduring solutions.” — Scott Thon, President and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Energy
“Arnold Ventures praises the bipartisan introduction of the Fix Our Forests Act, an evidence-based, constructive proposal to cut red tape and prevent catastrophic forest fires. We applaud Senators John Curtis (R‑UT), John Hickenlooper (D‑CO), Tim Sheehy (R‑MT), and Alex Padilla (D‑CA) for their work to craft and introduce this important and necessary legislation. We encourage all Senators to support and ultimately pass the Fix Our Forests Act.” — Charlie Anderson, Executive VP for Infrastructure, Arnold Ventures
“Our forests face serious threats, and this bipartisan bill is a vital step forward in addressing complex forest health challenges,” “It gives land managers the tools to proactively reduce wildfire risk, protect critical watersheds, and restore forest ecosystems through stronger collaboration.” — Joel Ferry, Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources
“The Senate’s bipartisan Fix Our Forest Act is a critical step toward restoring forest health and reducing catastrophic wildfire risk. This bipartisan legislation tackles the root causes of catastrophic wildfires by fixing the Cottonwood decision, reforming litigation standards, expanding categorical exclusions up to 10,000 acres, and boosting restoration capacity through long-term stewardship contracts and extended Good Neighbor Authority. Healthy forests require active stewardship — not bureaucratic delay. We thank Senators Hickenlooper, Sheehy, Padilla, and Curtis for bringing forward this bill, and we urge swift passage of this much-needed legislation.” — Brian Yablonski, CEO, The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC)
“We applaud the efforts made by Senator Hickenlooper in the Fix Our Forests Act to provide federal, state, and local partners with the tools needed to address wildfire mitigation in the most vulnerable areas in Colorado. Wildfires do not abide by our political boundaries. But here in Colorado we have built strong coordination among federal, state, local land managers and stakeholders to help reduce the impact of wildfires on our critical infrastructure and landscapes. We appreciate that this legislation builds upon this important collaboration and draws on existing agreements, such as Shared Stewardship, which will help strengthen our intergovernmental partnerships as we prepare for the next Colorado mega-fire.” — Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources
“Forests are central to our way of life in Colorado. They support world-class outdoor recreation and a vital water supply that more than 40 million Americans rely upon. I am grateful to Senator John Hickenlooper for his work on the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act,” “This critical legislation will bolster our shared stewardship ethic in Colorado and enhance our ability as a state to improve forest health, protect lives, communities and water supplies from wildfire, and ensure that the forests that define Colorado endure for generations to come.” — Matt McCombs, Colorado State Forester and Director, Colorado State Forest Service
“The declining health of our National Forests and the fish and wildlife habitat that they provide is a concern for America’s hunters and anglers,” “TRCP applauds the leadership of Senators Curtis, Sheehy, Hickenlooper, and Padilla for introducing the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act in the Senate and urges Congress to advance these important forest management provisions and to accompany them with adequate resources and capacity to carry out on-the-ground work.” — Joel Pedersen, President and CEO, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
“The Fix Our Forests Act streamlines collaboration between the National Wild Turkey Federation, the USDA Forest Service, and other partners, cutting red tape to accelerate urgent forest restoration and management on federal lands,” “This bill ensures we can better manage and conserve vital natural resources for wildlife, hunters and anglers. We are grateful to see the Senate introduce this critical piece of legislation and await the signature from the president.” — Matt Lindler, Director of Government Affairs, National Wild Turkey Federation
“The health of our nation’s forests is dependent on the rivers, streams, and wetlands that sustain them. Actively conserving and restoring these critical aquatic resources is an important tool that can be used to mitigate the impacts of wildfire and drought, among other threats,” “We’re encouraged to see language in the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act that recognizes the wildfire benefits of aquatic restoration. We look forward to continuing to work with leaders from both sides of the aisle to elevate these common sense and cost-effective approaches to forest and water management for all Americans.” — Alicia Marrs, Director of Western Water, National Wildlife Federation
“An antiquated NEPA review system delays environmental progress, whether it is protecting our natural resources from forest fires or deploying innovative technologies. This bill takes important steps to address those obstacles that hinder effective land management. For too long we have tiptoed around meaningful and impactful reforms, leading to habitat and human loss in the process. CRES is proud to support this effort spearheaded by Senators Curtis, Sheehy, Hickenlooper and Padilla.” — Heather Reams, President, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions
“There is no time to waste in restoring and reforesting the forests that work every day to be the lungs of our nation. More than ever before successful and timely forest restoration will require strengthened coordination across federal, state, and tribal governments together with non-profit organizations. This bill prioritizes a complementary series of actions that will accelerate wildfire resilience and community resilience including ensuring post-fire reforestation is implemented quickly and with the best available science.” — Brian Kittler, Chief Program Officer-Resilient Forests, American Forests
“The Fix Our Forests Act includes vital provisions that would improve wildfire mitigation and grid hardening efforts. Specifically, the bill streamlines federal permitting processes, authorizes the management of hazard trees within 150 feet of power lines, and establishes timelines for approval of vegetation management plans. It also incorporates key reforms from the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act, allowing electric utilities to remove felled timber and slash from rights-of-way in national forests without being subject to time-consuming timber sales procedures. These are common-sense, pragmatic changes that will reduce regulatory barriers and allow electric co-ops to act more quickly to protect their infrastructure and the communities they serve.” — Kent Singer, Executive Director, Colorado Rural Electric Association
“The poor health of our federal forests exacerbates the wildfires that negatively impact wildlife habitat, sportsmen’s access, and communities across the country, and comprehensive reforms are needed to actively treat hazardous fuels efficiently and at scale to increase forest resiliency to severe wildfires, insects, and disease. We are grateful for the bipartisan leadership of Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Members Senators Curtis, Hickenlooper, Padilla, and Sheehy for introducing the Fix Our Forests Act to improve forest management through strengthened authorities, collaborative tools, and improved processes. We look forward to working with the bill sponsors to advance the legislation quickly as we approach wildfire season.” — John Culclasure, Senior Director of Forest Policy, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
“Western Governors have long supported several policies which are included in the Fix Our Forests Act. Shared stewardship, prescribed fire, and other management strategies addressed in the bill are imperative to the health and resilience of forests and the communities that live among them. The Western Governors’ Association applauds the bipartisan efforts of U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) to address these issues of critical importance to the West. WGA encourages swift consideration of this important piece of legislation by the full Senate.” —Western Governors’ Association
“With more than two-thirds of U.S. forestland held in state and private ownership, the Fix Our Forests Act acknowledges the crucial role of state agencies in forest health, fire prevention, and ecosystem restoration. We particularly appreciate your inclusion of reforms that improve local flexibility and strengthen the role of state foresters and agriculture agencies in managing risk.” — Ted McKinney, CEO, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
“State forestry agencies play a lead role not only in managing and protecting over 550 million acres of state and private forests, but also working to improve the health and resiliency of federal lands through cross-boundary partnerships nationwide. State Foresters are also responsible for wildfire protection on more than 1.5 billion acres and, in collaboration with local fire departments, responding to 80 percent of the nation’s wildland fires. NASF applauds the bipartisan work of Senators Sheehy, Curtis, Hickenlooper, and Padilla to chart a path forward to greatly enhance wildfire management and recovery efforts and stem the tide of disastrous wildfires that threaten our nation’s forests and the livelihood of communities that depend on them. We recognize that many of the key improvements made in the Fix Our Forests Act are nuanced and look forward to continuing our work with Congress to ensure its landmark reforms become law.” — Jay Farrell, Executive Director, National Association of State Foresters
“We write to express support of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act. This legislation is designed to reduce the risk of devastating wildfires that are causing billions of dollars in damages and displacing thousands of people across the United States. Colorado suffered several serious events in the last few years and the state is among the highest in the country for wildfire risk. We are confident the Fix Our Forests Act will help reduce wildfire risk for Colorado communities and speed up mitigation projects while maintaining environmental safeguards and encouraging local involvement in the cooperative community. Further, we believe this will help the availability of liability insurance that has grown difficult to obtain.” — Mark A. Gabriel, President & CEO, United Power
“RMEF has long supported reforms of federal policy to actively manage our forests, sagebrush and grasslands for improved wildlife habitat and reduced catastrophic fire risk. That is why we strongly support the passage of the Fix Our Forests Act.” — Kyle Weaver, President & CEO, Rocky Mountain Elk
“Last month, after seeing the devastating fires in Los Angeles, CCL volunteers sent 4,509 messages (and counting!) to Congress, urging them to work in a bipartisan way to reduce wildfire risk. Democratic Rep. Scott Peters from California and Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman from Arkansas have now introduced an updated version of the Fix Our Forests Act. The bill is intended to improve forest health, increase resilience to wildfires, boost forest restoration projects, protect communities, and more. If your representative in the House voted in favor of the Fix Our Forests Act, you can send an appreciation to the office or post it on social media.” —Citizen’ Climate Lobby
“First of all, thanks to Senators Hickenlooper, Curtis, Sheehy, and Padilla for their leadership in moving all this forward! Having spent so many hours working on the Wildfire Mitigation and Management Commission, it is refreshing to see so many of the recommendations moving forward! Colorado has taken a very aggressive approach in addressing the wildfire challenges we face and we are pleased to see these efforts at the federal level taking a more holistic look at the challenges we all face and in support of the Commission’s recommendations. This bipartisan effort will serve Colorado and America well! I fully support this effort and I am happy to help in any way that would be helpful.” — Chief Mike Morgan, Director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
“BPC Action applauds the bipartisan leadership of Sens. Curtis (R-UT), Hickenlooper (D-CO), Sheehy (R-MT), and Padilla (D-CA) on the introduction of the Fix Our Forests Act. By streamlining and improving forest and hazardous fuels management activities on public and Tribal lands, this legislation will help reduce wildfire risks, improve forest health, and protect communities in fire-prone areas. The Fix Our Forests Act also delivers substantial economic and environmental benefits by addressing critical needs to enhance the domestic supply chain of seeds and advance biochar commercialization.” — Michele Stockwell, President, Bipartisan Policy Center Action
“We are thrilled to see the Fix Our Forests Act introduced in the Senate through a bipartisan cooperation between Senators Curtis, Hickenlooper, Padilla, and Sheehy. The bill greatly expands upon the version that passed the House, adding critical details to support wildfire risk reduction in the built environment and provisions for mitigating the health impacts of smoke to communities while promoting expanded use of prescribed fire. Covering a third of the recommendations of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, this bill is a significant step forward in wildfire policy and, coupled with sufficient funding and staffing to realize the proposed tools and programs, will make a real difference in our nation’s experience with wildfire.” — Alliance for Wildfire Resilience
“The science is clear: tackling the wildfire crisis requires better forest management, increasing the use of prescribed fire, and investing in and deploying the next generation of wildfire technologies. The Fix Our Forests Act will get this urgently needed work done. Now is the time for the Senate to build on the bipartisan leadership demonstrated by the sponsors and pass this bill.” — James Campbell, Wildfire Policy Specialist, Federation of American Scientists
“HECHO enthusiastically applauds the impressive bipartisan leadership behind the Senate’s Fix Our Forests Act.” —Hispanics Enjoy Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors
“The Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society values opportunities to engage with conservation allies, including state agencies and the U.S. Forest Service. The Fix Our Forests Act enables collaborative approaches among federal, state, tribal and other entities to forest management that are grounded in state-of-the-art science and data. It lays the foundation for an approach that will facilitate healthy forests management and healthy habitat.
We commend Chair Westerman and Representative Peters for introducing the Fix Our Forests Act and we urge the House and the Senate to advance the bill without delay.” —Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society
“For many Americans, catastrophic wildfires are a very real and growing threat to their homes and lives. The U.S. Forest Service needs new tools and more resources now to prevent and control these wildfires, and with the right funding, this bipartisan proposal will help. Protecting people and nature from catastrophic wildfire requires both a robust, science-based plan of forest management and the resources to implement it.” —Environmental Defense Fund
“On behalf of the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), we are pleased to support the Fix Our Forests Act (S. 1462). RCRC is confident that this legislation will provide much needed pathways to improve and expedite forest management and wildfire prevention measures on USDA Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands, as well as on tribal lands; and to improve forest resilience, watershed health and resistance to wildfire. RCRC is an association of forty rural California counties and the RCRC Board of Directors is comprised of elected supervisors from each of those member counties.” —Rural County Representatives of California
“Healthy forests are critical for the well-being of our communities and the planet. The Fix Our Forests Act is a meaningful step forward in advancing forest resilience, reducing wildfire risk, and protecting lives and ecosystems. As a company committed to sustainability and innovation, we’re encouraged to see bipartisan efforts like FOFA that prioritize forest health and a more sustainable future.” —Sunya Norman , Senior Vice President , Salesforce
“We strongly support Senator Curtis’s efforts to modernize the performance of wastewater treatment infrastructure through the use of intelligent/digital technology. This bill will provide a great benefit for Utah. A few years ago, CVWRF started the Digital Water committee which is part of the Water Environment Association of Utah. At CVWRF, we already have many real time sensors and instruments that monitor our processes and feed data into the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system that automates control of the plant. The topic of intelligent water infrastructure is extremely pertinent for us as we are now significantly increasing the number (by around a factor of 10), variety and sophistication of the sensors and the control software we use. This work is being implemented as part of the redesign and construction we are currently undertaking to improve our treatment facilities to lower costs and improve the quality of wastewater we discharge into the Great Salt Lake. We are also starting to use this information for asset management such as triggering maintenance events based on sensor data and not just a simple maintenance schedule. We are also implementing digital twin software models of our process which use real time data and simulate the operation which will allow us for example, to predict the outcome of process changes we want to make prior to implementing them in our physical facility.” — Phil Heck, General Manager, Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility
“The accelerating frequency and severity of wildfires are devastating communities, crippling infrastructure, and inflicting enormous losses to our economy. Beyond the immediate destruction and long-term recovery, these fires release large amounts of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases, threatening human health and undermining hard-won progress on emissions reductions critical to combating climate change. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is pleased to endorse the active forest management and resilience strategies outlined in the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, which will remove barriers hindering wildfire prevention, leading to better outcomes for communities and the U.S. economy. Many efforts in the bill closely align with C2ES’s Wildfire Resilience Policy Recommendations drafted with the support of local, state, and business leaders in the West.” — Nat Keohane, President, C2ES
“The Fix Our Forests Act will help restore forest health and increase resilience to catastrophic wildfires by: Streamlining environmental reviews to reduce project delays; Encouraging prescribed fire practices and livestock grazing as wildfire mitigation tools; Promoting technology partnerships for wildfire detection and prevention; Supporting research into wildfire- resistant building designs and community layouts, aiming to improve structural resilience; and fostering interagency cooperation to avoid duplication.” — Marty Durbin, Senior Vice President, Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
“The Fix Our Forests Act will help address some of the most pressing challenges facing our landscapes and communities by: accelerating landscape-scale restoration work through revised categorical exclusion (CE) and permitting thresholds that reduce delays and promote proactive land management; driving data-informed decision-making by improving access to intelligence and leveraging existing decision support tools and data infrastructure; leveraging innovative technologies to enhance wildfire response, including the integration and accessibility of commercially available tools at both federal and state levels; and promoting resilience in the built environment by creating a Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program and expanding Community Wildfire Defense Grants to include home
hardening activities.” — Lief Sackett, Colorado River Fire Rescue; Mark Novak, Vail Fire and Emergency Services; Karl Bauer, Eagle River Fire Protection District; C. Andrew Hoehn, Red, White, and Blue Fire District; Brad White, Grand Fire District #1; Jake Anderson, Aspen Fire Department; Travis Davis, Summit Fire and EMS; David Wolf, Wildland Fire Section Chairman
“This legislation outlines a comprehensive approach to improving forest and watershed health by helping to foster a collaborative partnership between federal agencies and local communitas, authorizing common sense environmental streamlining authorities, and expanding important research initiatives.” — Chane Polo, Executive Director Andy Colosimo, Chair of CWC Federal Affairs Committee, Colorado Water Congress
“The bill has come a long way since passing on the House floor by a bipartisan vote in January. Thanks to the efforts of the Senate bill’s sponsors, Sens. Curtis, Hickenlooper, Sheehy, and Padilla, important improvements have been made that have allowed for our organizations to back the bill: there are more guardrails around the emergency authorities, clarified forest management activities, broader inclusions of local, state, tribal and stakeholder input, substantially strengthened Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program language, provisions on improving prescribed fire use, and expanded seed nursery and reforestation infrastructure. Further, language has been struck that would limit standing for plaintiffs based on comment period participation, and the statute of limitations has been extended.” — The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, and National Audubon Society
The Fix Our Forests Act is a critical step forward. The bill provides an opportunity to speed up the planning and implementation of wildfire risk reduction projects on federal lands while expanding collaborative tools to bring more partners into this vital work. Additionally, it bolsters the use of prescribed fire to help reduce fire severity and restore ecosystems. The bill recognizes that replanting after wildfire and other extreme events goes hand in hand with active forest management and the legislation supports ecosystem and habitat restoration across our public lands and in the priceless white oak forests of the Eastern U.S. The Fix Our Forests Act also takes a broad view of the solutions needed by establishing a Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program to address risk in the built environment and creating a Fire Intelligence Center to improve interagency coordination and adoption of new technologies. — Coalition of 22 Wildfire Organizations
“We are particularly encouraged by the bill’s designation of Fireshed Management Areas to focus forest health treatments in the highest-risk regions; creation of an Interagency Fireshed Center to coordinate science, data, and planning across jurisdictions; streamlined environmental reviews that maintain safeguards while accelerating action on priority projects; support for Good Neighbor Authority expansion to allow broader participation from states and local partners; investment in local and tribal capacity, data tools, and restoration programs to improve on-the-ground outcomes.
Each of these components advances better watershed protection, reduces long-term fire suppression costs, and improves the resilience of the systems our members rely on to deliver clean, reliable water.
The Fix Our Forests Act provides a forward-looking framework that strengthens interagency collaboration and delivers common-sense reforms to improve forest and watershed health. NWRA believes this legislation will provide lasting benefits for our environment, public safety, and water quality and infrastructure. We respectfully urge swift passage of the bill and stand ready to support its implementation.” — Greg Morrison, Executive Vice President , National Water Resources Association
To address these challenges, the Fix Our Forests Act would:
- Establish new and updated programs to reduce wildfire risks across large, high-priority “firesheds,” with an emphasis on cross-boundary collaboration.
- Streamline and expand tools for forest health projects (e.g., stewardship contracting, Good Neighbor Agreements) and provide faster processes for certain hazardous fuels treatments.
- Create a single interagency program to help communities in the wildland-urban interface build and retrofit with wildfire-resistant measures, while simplifying and consolidating grant applications.
- Expand research and demonstration initiatives—including biochar projects and the Community Wildfire Defense Research Program—to test and deploy cutting-edge wildfire prevention, detection, and mitigation technologies.
- Strengthen coordination efforts across agencies through a new Wildfire Intelligence Center, which would streamline federal response and create a whole-of-government approach to combating wildfires.
- Improve reforestation, seedling supply, and nursery capacity; establish new programs for white oak restoration; and clarify policies to reduce wildfire-related litigation and expedite forest health treatments.
A version of the Fix Our Forests Act was originally introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Scott Peters (D-CA).
The full text of the bill can be found here, a one-pager can be found here, and a section-by-section can be found here.