Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on protecting communities in the wildland-urban interface from wildfires. Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) issued the following statement in response:

"Across the United States, more than one billion acres of land are at risk of being consumed by wildfire. Our nation’s forests are loaded with dangerous dry fuels that have not been managed through thinning, prescribed burns, and mechanical treatments. Under Republican leadership, this committee has worked tirelessly to emphasize and combat the catastrophic wildfire crisis in the United States. I have long advocated for implementing sound science-backed forest management policies, putting people back to work in our national forests, encouraging coordination among federal, state, and private entities related to managing our forests and improving public safety, especially in the wildland-urban interface."

Background

The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is growing rapidly and is at constant risk of being devastated by wildfires. Unfortunately, for more than a century, preservationist activists have fought against sound forest management and increased the risk of catastrophic wildfire. This risk is multiplied as communities settle closer to or even within the wildland areas.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, more than 70,000 communities are at risk of WUI fires. As of 2022, these communities were estimated to consist of more than 46 million housing units, accounting for nearly one-third of all U.S. homes. Between 2002 and 2016, “an average of over 3,000 structures per year were lost to WUI fires in the United States.” Without proper forest management practices and a conscious effort by those living in WUI communities to protect themselves from wildfires, fire destruction in WUI areas is only anticipated to increase.

Healthy and resilient forests require active forest management to reduce wildfire risk and keep communities safe. Earlier this year in the wake of devastating fires in Los Angeles, the House passed the "Fix our Forests Act," comprehensive, bipartisan legislation that restores forest health, increases resiliency to catastrophic wildfires, and protects communities by expediting environmental analyses, reducing frivolous lawsuits and increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration projects. 

Today's hearing presented expert testimony and allowed members to discuss solutions for preventing future catastrophic wildfires.

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