Washington, DC – The National Alliance of Forest Owners responded in a statement to the introduction of H.R. 1586, to allow the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to use a fire retardant, chemical, or water for fire suppression, control, or prevention activities.
“We applaud the introduction of H.R. 1586, a bipartisan bill that will support our nation’s wildland firefighters by ensuring they have the tools they need to protect our people, rural communities, and forested ecosystems from severe wildfire. The wildfire crisis is at an inflection point. Now is the time to improve and strengthen our wildfire suppression resources, not reduce or weaken them. Healthy forests support healthy communities, clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and good-paying jobs. Severe wildfires are increasingly putting these benefits at risk. The health and resilience of our nation’s forests and the rural communities they support depend on immediate and comprehensive fire suppression during fire season. Maintaining that capability should be a top priority for everyone. We look forward to working with Chairman LaMalfa and the rest of the Committee to support our nation’s firefighters as they protect the health and safety of our rural communities and the sustainability of our forests.”
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The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a national advocacy organization committed to advancing federal policies that ensure our working forests provide clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and jobs through sustainable practices and strong markets. NAFO member companies own and sustainably manage more than 46 million acres of private working forests – forests that are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. Private working forests – which provide 90% of our timber harvest for wood and fiber – also account for 80% of our total net forest carbon sequestration and nearly half of our forest carbon storage. Learn more at nafoalliance.org.| @NAFO_Forests