U.S. House passes bipartisan legislation encouraging active forest management

Key Takeaways

On January 23, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471), also known as FOFA. Initially introduced by Representatives Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.), this bipartisan legislation will promote active forest management to curtail the wildfire crisis and protect rural communities, infrastructure and natural resources.

FOFA was reintroduced on January 16, 2025, and is nearly identical to a version of the Fix Our Forests Act that was introduced in the 118th Congress (). The reintroduced bill, however, includes additional provisions originally put forward as floor amendments during the 118th Congress.  With the bill’s passage through the House, FOFA will now await consideration by the Senate.

About the Fix Our Forests Act

After decades of mismanagement leaving the nation’s forests more vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires, FOFA seeks to enable more rapid and efficient forest treatments in a variety of ways. The bill:

• Simplifies and expedites the environmental review process for forest management activities, shortening the timeline and reducing costs associated with carrying out necessary treatments 
• Promotes intergovernmental cooperation by establishing a “Fireshed Center” which brings together officials from all levels of government to identify forested areas where treatment with have the greatest impact on reducing wildfire risk
• Encourages the use of technology to analyze which areas are under the greatest threat from wildfires and most likely to impact our communities. This information would then be applied by prioritizing treatment efforts, maximizing the value of limited financial and human capital

How would this impact counties?

FOFA would provide counties with additional resources and remove procedural barriers to active forest management, helping to safeguard our natural landscapes and communities from the devastating impacts of wildfire. FOFA does this by:

• Involving local officials in the Fireshed Center, ensuring that local perspectives will have a voice in land and fuels management, risk reduction and fire response and recovery
• Strengthening tools like the Good Neighbor Authority, allowing counties to reinvest revenues from joint forest management projects on federal lands into other forest management projects
• Incentivizing forest management projects up to 10,000 acres, thereby increasing the pace and scale of active management and thus reducing wildfire risks to our communities

Counties applaud congressional efforts to improve forest management practices with the goal of safeguarding our communities and natural landscapes from the threat of wildfire. Counties urge the Senate to pass the Fix Our Forests Act and implore Congress and the Administration to continue to implement common-sense solutions which curtail the wildfire crisis.