Trustee Election

These are the original issues in this subcategory

WILDFIRES
FOREST MANAGEMENT
FOREST INFESTATION

Winning Issue » FOREST INFESTATION

For the past 15 years, our great western Conifer forests have been under siege by the mountain pine beetle. This insect is responsible for killing over 100 million acres of forest pine trees across the U.S. and Canada. In the East, the emerald ash borer and the gypsy moth are also causing much forest damage. Scientists claim climate change is much to blame for our beetle problem. They say warmer weather and severe drought has caused bark beetle populations to explode while enabling them to move to higher altitudes where they encounter trees that have not developed defenses against them. Pine beetles normally attack weakened trees. However, with record-breaking beetle populations and more drought-stressed trees, even relatively healthy trees are being infected. Longer summers and warmer winters also assist beetle populations by enabling more beetle larva to survive a moderate cold season, and allowing these voracious pests to spread farther than they once could. With scientists predicting future droughts to be more intense, occur more often and last longer, the fate of our forests is not promising. In an attempt to discover its weakness and stem its devastation, scientists have sequenced the genome of the mountain pine beetle. Currently, the only way to halt the infestation is preventative - protecting the tree by killing the beetles before they infest it with insecticides containing permethrin or carbaryl.

Proposed Legislation: Reintroduction of S.808 - Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2023
Prospective Sponsor: Sen. John Thune (SD)

Options

I oppose reforming current forest infestation policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Leader John Thune (SD).
I support:
1.) Requiring the Department of Agriculture to expedite the environmental review of hazardous fuel or insect and disease risk reduction projects on certain National Forest System land and prioritize reducing the risks of insect infestations and wildfires over other objectives in forest plans.

2.) Directing states to retain good neighbor agreement timber sale revenues and use them for certain restoration services.

And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Sen. John Thune (SD) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.

Winning Option

There has been $ 0.00 pledged in support of this issue

Trustee Candidates

DUAL TRUSTEE
To participate in the Trustee Election you must first pledge support to this issue.

Senator John Thune
If elected as a trustee, the campaign committee of Sen. John Thune (SD) will be unconditionally awarded the funds pledged to this issue along with a letter requesting him to favorably consider either reintroducing S.808 - Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2023, or a similar version thereof.

American Forests
If elected as a trustee, American Forests will be awarded the funds pledged to this issue along with a letter requesting these funds be used to work and advocate for insect and disease treatment programs in forests.

Mission: American Forests creates healthy and resilient forests, from cities to wilderness, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife. We advance our mission through forestry innovation and place-based partnerships to plant and restore forests. By 2030, by working with a diverse group of partners, we will plant at least 4 billion trees across 16 million acres of North America using climate-smart practices to determine what trees to plant, where to plant them and how to manage them. In 100 of America’s cities, we will ensure every under-resourced neighborhood has enough trees in the right places so all people benefit from trees.

Click here if you wish to make a pledge.

Trustee Election - Opening Date

March 10, 2025

Trustee Election - Closing Date

March 17, 2025