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Protecting Our Nation's Endangered Forests
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act
Our nation's forests are in grave danger. Currently, more than 57 million acres of federal land are at the highest risk of catastrophic fire, including 8.5 million in California. Californians saw how devastating fires can be in the fall of 2003 when wildfires swept through Southern California, consuming almost 740,000 acres of land, killing 23 people, and destroying more than 3,500 residences and 1,100 other structures.
In the wake of the deadly October 2003 fires, Congress was spurred to action. We passed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, with overwhelming bipartisan support, to protect our national forests from catastrophic fire by expediting the thinning of hazardous fuels.
The Healthy Forests law, which I sponsored with 9 other Senators, protected forests from catastrophic fire by expediting the thinning of hazardous fuels, such as dead and dying trees. The law also provided the first legal protection for old-growth tress in our nation's history.
Congress must continue to fund these important hazardous fuel reduction projects. But steps need to be taken at the local level too – each community must have in place a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. This preventive measure will help save lives; protect homes at risk from catastrophic forest fires; and save millions of dollars in potential damage.
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act reduces the risk of wildfires by:
- Expediting the hazardous fuels reduction program in 20 million acres of land at the highest risk of catastrophic fire and authorizing $760 million annually for the removal of hazardous fuels.
- Protecting old-growth forests by updating forest plans with old-growth protection areas, prohibiting the logging of fire-resistant trees, and authorizing local forest managers to write specific prescriptions for their forests.
- Making the administrative review process more collaborative and ensuring a fair judicial review process.
- Giving communities the option of preparing community wildfire protection plans.
To learn more about the Healthy Forests legislation, please view the booklet- Protecting Our Nation's Endangered Forests (PDF)
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