March 10, 2022: The Federal Forest Resource Coalition this week submitted testimony in support of improved management of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management forests and called for increased timber outputs to restore forest health, reduce fire danger, and supply wood products for the American people.
“The National Forests are a conservation success story, but unless we invest in their management, they face an uncertain future,” FFRC Executive Director Bill Imbergamo said. “The Forest Service recently acknowledged that there is a forest health and wildfire crisis on our National Forests. The Infrastructure bill has provided significant new resources to the Forest Service, but the annual spending bill must ensure that the base program – which funds timber sales, restoration treatments, and road maintenance –be increased.”
“Forest restoration work is expensive – the Forest Service estimates that treating at risk acres and protecting communities will take $50 billion over a decade. Using value from forest products – through timber sales and Stewardship contracts – can help defray these costs, while generating wood products Americans need and employment in rural communities.”
FFRC’s testimony calls for 25 percent increases in both Forest Products and Road Maintenance funding. “These investments will produce benefits for every American by providing safe access to millions of acres of public land, as well as affordable wood products.”
“If Congress would adequately fund these programs, timber outputs from National Forests could easily replace imports from places like Russia – which
has no environmental standards and seems to enjoy invading it’s neighbors. We can produce those products right here in America, using our own resources, and following strict environmental standards. More than half the National Forest system is off limits to management – and the other half is badly under managed. We can do better, but only if Congress supports these investments.”
For more information, contact Bill Imbergamo, Executive Director, at 703-629-6877 or [email protected]
About the FFRC: FFRC is a national coalition of wood products companies, local governments, conservation groups united by concern for the National Forests. FFRC supports improving the management of the federal lands to support healthy forests and vibrant rural communities.
Federal Forest Resource Coalition
1901 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 303
Washington, DC 20006