Democracy Rules

America’s 154 National Forests are managed by our Forest Service. These forests contain about 190 million acres, or about 9% of our total land area. Nearly 90% of these forests are located west of the Mississippi River, with 12% situated in Alaska alone. The U.S. Forest Service manages timber harvesting, livestock grazing, water, wildlife and recreation on these lands. However, unlike our national parks which protect resources, national forests were created to balance resource protection with resource use. This conflicting mission has been the source of endless disputes between parties competing for opposite goals. Environmentalists and naturalists consider logging, grazing and off-road vehicle use as threats to forest ecosystems. However, scientists are now saying climate change is the biggest threat to our national forests. Recent studies have found that longer droughts and higher temperatures are affecting a large majority of tree species worldwide. Experts say that many trees in our forests are now suffering from drought, disease and pests. Our forests are also overcrowded with dead or dying trees and thick underbrush which in some cases is 20 times more dense than normal.

Proposed Legislation: Reintroduction of H.R.3442 - National Prescribed Fire Act of 2021
Prospective Sponsor: Rep. Kim Schrier (WA)

I oppose reforming current wildfire policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA).
I support creating a technically skilled preseason controlled burn workforce, and streamline smoke regulations in winter months to reduce catastrophic fires and smoke in the summer by: 1.) Providing $300 million to plan, prepare and conduct controlled burns on federal, state and private lands. 2.) Requiring the Forest Service to increase the number of acres treated with controlled burns. 3.) Requiring state air quality agencies to use current laws and regulations to allow larger controlled burns, and give states more flexibility in winter months to conduct controlled burns that reduce catastrophic smoke events in the summer. And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Rep. Kim Schrier (WA) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.

Winning Option »» I support creating a technically skilled preseason controlled burn workforce, and streamline smoke regulations in winter months to reduce catastrophic fires and smoke in the summer by: 1.) Providing $300 million to plan, prepare and conduct controlled burns on federal, state and private lands. 2.) Requiring the Forest Service to increase the number of acres treated with controlled burns. 3.) Requiring state air quality agencies to use current laws and regulations to allow larger controlled burns, and give states more flexibility in winter months to conduct controlled burns that reduce catastrophic smoke events in the summer. And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Rep. Kim Schrier (WA) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.