Today, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a legislative hearing on a discussion draft of legislation to support tribal forest management activities, entitled the Fostering Opportunities to Restore Ecosystems through Sound Tribal Stewardship Act, or the FORESTS Act. Subcommittee Chairman Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) issued the following statement in response:

"The people closest to federal lands know best how to manage them, and Tribes, along with state and local leaders, play an important role in improving forest health. The FORESTS Act expands tribal participation in managing these lands, helping prevent catastrophic wildfires and restoring forest resilience."

Background

H.R. ________, the Fostering Opportunities to Restore Ecosystems through Sound Tribal Stewardship Act, or the FORESTS Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), is comprehensive legislation that empowers cross-boundary forest management to tackle the devastating wildfire and forest health crisis afflicting federal and tribal forest lands. By leveraging the knowledge of tribes and expanding the tools available to them for forest management, the FORESTS Act will help reverse the trend of catastrophic wildfires and enhance forest resilience to drought, insects, and disease. This legislation will provide new tools to boost Tribal management of fire-prone federal forests, encourage the use of low-value hazardous fuels, address sawmill infrastructure shortages, and demand greater transparency and responsiveness from federal land managers.