On Tuesday, Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) introduced bipartisan legislation to “convene a federal advisory panel tasked with making recommendations to support data collection critical to the health of America’s forests.” Specifically, this “Blue Ribbon” panel would be made up of forest industry representatives, experts, and climate specialists, who will assess the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory & Analysis program’s past progress, current priorities, and future needs in order to effectively address climate change, promote carbon trading, support forest health, and bolster sustainable wood production. Senator King raised the need for this legislation with Victoria Christiansen, then-Chief of the U.S. Forest Service during a June hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
