|
Forest Health Act
Story Date: 2/12/2018
| |
Source: NC FARM BUREAU, 2/9/18
The U.S. House’s Empowering State Forestry to Improve Forest Health Act of 2018 would direct funding toward the highest priority forest conservation projects, resulting in measurable improvements to private and family-owned forests and nearby National Forest System lands, according to the American Forest Foundation (AFF). The bill, which has a companion in the U.S. Senate (S.962), builds on an existing program that was created to enhance the “on-the-ground” outcomes delivered through the USDA Forest Service Cooperative Forestry Programs. The bill codifies the program and adds a requirement that state Forest Action Plans be the basis for project selection. In addition, the bill directs a portion of the USDA Forest Service Hazardous Fuels Program to cross-boundary work, including thinning trees and using prescribed burns, in order to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Together with the Forest Service, state foresters would select those projects and be able to spend a portion of that funding on fuels reduction on adjoining state, county, and private lands.
|
|
|
|
