This week, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) hosted the committee's first outdoor hearing at Curry Village Amphitheater in Yosemite National Park. Westerman issued the following statement in response:

"Sitting in the shadow of the iconic Half Dome, it was clear to see why our national parks are the Crown Jewels of America. Millions of people travel from all over the world every year to recreate in the spaces we are privileged enough to call home. Unfortunately, these national treasures face an increased threat of catastrophic wildfires every year. More than a century of fire suppression and mismanagement has turned our federal forests into powder kegs waiting for a single spark to ignite. Perhaps nothing exemplifies our wildfire crisis and the threat to an iconic species more than the loss of 20 percent of the world’s Giant Sequoias in just two short years. Just last year, the Mariposa Grove, which we toured this week, was threatened by fire. Firefighters and land managers alike both credited prior treatments such as thinning and prescribed burning as saving the grove. These are the kinds of proactive solutions we must apply to every American forest, and the hearing gave us insight into crafting a path forward. It was an honor to lead this historic outdoor hearing. I know it won't be the last as Republicans continue the fight to conserve our resources so future generations can enjoy the great outdoors as well."

Background

The health of America's forests has deteriorated so severely that Yosemite National Park, a crown jewel of America’s National Park System, is in the epicenter of a catastrophic wildfire crisis that is devastating California and the West. Yosemite provided the perfect backdrop to hear from witnesses representing tribal communities, farmers, outdoor recreationists, and others, all of whom have been impacted by catastrophic wildfires. From charred communities, to degraded air and water quality and lost access, their stories highlighted the desperate need to increase the pace and scale of active forest management now.

Last year, U.S. Forest Service (USFS) researchers estimated 36.3 million trees died in California in 2022 alone, a 282 percent increase from the year prior. In Mariposa County, the location of the field hearing, nearly 1 million trees died last year.

This forest health crisis has fueled an unprecedented rise in the likelihood and severity of catastrophic wildfires. More than 72 million acres (approximately 112,500 square miles) have burned in the last decade. To put this in context, only six U.S. states are larger than 72 million acres.

The need to increase the pace and scale of active forest management has never been more apparent. Despite the fear mongering of increasingly isolated, radical environmentalists, there is a scientific consensus among a broad array of stakeholders recognizing the importance of active forest management. Active forest management encourages sustained healthy growth, while removing much of the dangerous fuels buildup that leads to catastrophic wildfires. 

Unfortunately, land managers are still failing to truly confront the wildfire crisis in large part due to a mixture of bureaucratic red tape, onerous regulations, and frivolous litigation. These factors delay or cancel critical forest management projects by diverting agency time and resources from important management activities to endless analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, circular consultations with other agencies, and obstructionist lawsuits. According to a recent report from the Property and Environment Research Center, it takes an average of 3.6 years to begin mechanical treatments and 4.7 years to begin a prescribed burn. USFS, for instance, has only been able to carry out 2 million acres of treatments annually in recent decades. At this rate, it will take the agency more than 30 years to complete the necessary treatments to improve the health of its high-risk forests.

Committee Republicans are committed to crafting innovative legislative solutions to expedite environmental analyses, reducing frivolous lawsuits, ensuring wildland firefighters have the tools and support they need, improving state, tribal and local collaboration and promoting landscape scale management to treat extremely high-risk areas and communities. 

To learn more and watch the full field hearing, click here.