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Wildfire Prevention
Congressman Gosar Leads Charge to Better Fight Forest Fires
Reforming Federal Forest Health Policy
Our forests and natural resources are a way of life in Arizona. The First Congressional District alone is home to over nine million acres of United States Forest Service administered land, including much of Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves, Tonto, Prescott, and Kaibab National Forests.
These ecosystems are suffocating under too many trees. Where we once had 10 to 25 trees per acre, we now have hundreds. These conditions have increased wildfire conditions.
The frequency of fires, and the magnitude of the acreage burned, has exponentially increased since 1990. The five largest wildfires, Rodeo in 2002, Cave Creek in 2005, Willow in 2004, Aspen in 2003, and the recent Wallow Fire have all occurred in the last ten years. Prior to 1990, the largest fire was the Carrizo fire in 1970 which burned just 57,000 acres.
Our forests have been mismanaged for a long time and it is way past due to change our strategy. As you Congressman, I have been fighting for proactive, solutions oriented, and fiscally sustainable policies that restore the environment, improve public safety, and put people back to work in our forests.
Congressman Gosar Introduces Legislation to Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires
I recently introduced the "Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2012" (H.R. 5744), legislation intended to remove bureaucratic red tape that slows or restricts forest health projects. See my full statement here.
Congressman Gosar and Luján Offer Legislation to Address Fire Hazards in National Forests
Congressman Luján and I introduced legislation, The Forest Stewardship and Fire Fuels Reduction Act of 2012 (H.R.4396), which extends the federal government’s authority to partner with the timber industry. The White Mountain Stewardship Project, one of these type of agreements, saved some communities from the Wallow Fire. We need more projects like it. See my full statement here.
Rep. Gosar Applauds Selection of Contractor for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative
The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4-FRI) is a proposal that will restore 2.5 million acres of Arizona’s ponderosa pine forests. This first-of-its-kind large-scale treatment will reduce damaging wildfire impacts, as well as provide forest jobs, markets for wood products, and ecological restoration. After months of delays, I was pleased to see the U.S. Forest Service finally award the contract. See my full statement here.
Reps. Gosar, Flake, and Pearce Introduce Forest Health Legislation Aimed at Removing Dead and Dying Trees Following Wallow Fire
Following the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire, bureaucratic regulations and lawsuits by self-proclaimed environmental groups severely delayed salvage efforts that, by the time the projects were cleared to proceed, most of the eligible trees had lost their economic value. The Wallow Fire Recovery and Monitoring Act (H.R.2562) expedites the removal of hazard, dead and dying trees in the the Wallow Fire area, so that situation does not occur again. See my full statement here.