Central Montana Times

U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) have expressed opposition to a proposed amendment by the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The amendment aims to introduce new guidelines for the National Forest System’s 128 Forest Plans, which the senators argue would impede essential forest management activities and heighten wildfire risks.

In their letter, the senators stated, "Every fire season more acres of our western National Forests are scorched in catastrophic wildfires while needed management work is put on hold. Drought, insects, and disease continue to make our forests more vulnerable to these wildfires. Already this year 7.3 million acres have burned across the country. Addressing this crisis should be the top priority of the Forest Service."

They further criticized the proposal, saying, "Instead the Forest Service has moved forward with an unprecedented proposal to amend all 128 Forest Plans at once without making it clear why these changes are needed or even that the proposed changes will address the real threats to old growth forests…Unfortunately, the proposed Amendment will take staff time away from on-the-ground work to address the wildfire threat and refocus the agency’s limited capacity on deciding if the Forest Plan needs to be updated to comply with the new standards…This is the opposite of what our forests need during this crisis. The Forest Service should be focused on expediting needed on-the-ground work, not putting new hurdles in place to delay hazardous fuels mitigation work. This new layer of guidelines will also open the door to additional litigation against proposed projects further slowing the process."

The full letter can be read [HERE].

---