As of mid-June 2026, wildfires already scorched more than 2.5 million acres of forests, grassland and wildlife habitat across the United States, which is nearly double the 10-year average for this early in the year.
One way to better safeguard public safety, mitigate the risk of high intensity fires and improve both overall forest health and wildlife habitat is to ease or remove barriers that prevent active forest management from happening. The Fix Our Forests Act is a set of reforms that simplify and expedite environmental reviews, promote collaboration in forest management, deter frivolous litigation that delays essential projects, including reversing the 9th Circuit Court’s Cottonwood decision, and encourage the adoption of state-of-the-art science and technologies for federal land managers.
Both the full U.S. House and Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry already passed the measure but it is yet to be scheduled for a full Senate floor debate and vote. During a June 2 Senate Ag Committee hearing about oversight of the U.S. Forest Service, members from both parties called for that to happen.
“FOFA will provide the Forest Service much needed streamlined authorities to reduce catastrophic wildfires and improve forest health,” said Sen. John Boozeman (R-AR), committee chair. “I want to thank Senators Curtis, Hickenlooper, Sheehy and Padilla for introducing that important legislation in the Senate and thank Chairman Westerman for championing it in the House. I also want to thank my Republican and Democrat colleagues who voted for FOFA, including Ranking Member Klobuchar and Senators Fetterman, Lujan, Slotkin, Warnock and Welch. I am committed to working with leadership to get FOFA across the floor and to the President’s desk.”
"My colleague, Senator Boozman, just mentioned the Fix Our Forests Act, which this committee passed through, and we're looking forward to its consideration on the floor, and we understand that its passage could be eased by some additional changes that we hope will be able to develop together, but I do appreciate the bipartisan leadership, and that is why I supported that bill," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), ranking member on the committee.
Hunt 2 Conserve agrees with the senators and asks the full Senate to take up and pass the measure.
Click here to view the full hearing.
About Hunt 2 Conserve
Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.
(Photo credit: Russel Simmons, Coos Forest Protective Association - Gold Beach AUF.)
