[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H3363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           FOREST MANAGEMENT

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, our forests are in crisis, and we must 
act with urgency on managing them and making them more fireproof.
  In the past few years, for example, my district in northern 
California has seen the devastating effects of wildfires, from the Camp 
fire in 2018 where 85 people lost their lives, and the Dixie fire which 
consumed 1 million acres.
  They are not just statistics. They represent real people, homes lost, 
and entire towns disappeared.
  Yet funding alone is not going to be enough. We need more tools, we 
need more authorities, and we need categorical exclusions that will 
help move us into the forest more quickly, more broadly, and more 
effectively.
  Pace and scale need to be dramatically increased, especially on 
Federal forest lands.
  The 2024 farm bill promotes active forest management; yes, the farm 
bill, because USDA has the Forest Service aspect in that bill, as well. 
We need to do much acceleration of the process. We don't want to 
continue to see the West burn year after year. We need to put the jobs 
back in the forests where we used to have them 40 and 50 years ago.
  The 2024 farm bill will enhance our ability to manage forests 
proactively, reduce fuel loads, and put people back to work in the 
West.

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