The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill it hopes will make it easier to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The “Fix Our Forests Act” would help simplify environmental reviews on forest management projects and end frivolous lawsuits that delay such projects. In addition, state-of-the-art science would be used to prioritize treatment of forests at the highest risk for wildfires and give agencies new tools to restore watersheds and protect communities in the wildland-urban interface from fires.
Federal land management agencies have identified 117 million acres of federal land at high risk for wildfires, and wildfires have burned more than 164 million acres since 2000. The U.S. Forest Service also has a reforestation backlog of 4 million acres.
Here in Yavapai County, the Prescott National Forest covers 1.25 million acres of land.