Advocacy News

 Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 8790), This bipartisan piece of legislation focuses on improving forest management and reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfires.

On September 19, 2024, Congress Member Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-North Coast) led a group of 33 lawmakers in sending a letter to Secretary Tom Vilsack, supporting the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) National Old-Growth Amendment and urging USFS to take additional measures to protect old-growth forests. A copy of the letter can be found here. RCRC submitted comments on the Land Management Plan Direction for Old-Growth Forest Conditions Across the National Forest System earlier this year. Those comments are available here.

On September 17, 2024, U.S. Representative John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove), along with several other lawmakers, reintroduced the Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act (H.R. 9602), which would allow states to choose to designate accredited, nonprofit land trusts to hold conservation easements purchased with federal grant funds under the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program. Current law requires that only the federal or state governments hold conservation easements purchased under the Forest Legacy Program. Allowing States participating in the federal Forest Legacy Program the flexibility to partner with accredited, nonprofit land trusts will help to conserve more land permanently by working with private landowners who want to choose conservation but do not want to sell the federal or state governments an easement on their property. Conserving working forestlands also supports the rural economy, and sustainable forest management practices that reduce wildfire risk will support local jobs.