Recognition of May As Wildfire Awareness Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize May as Wildfire Awareness Month.

For many States and regions around the Nation, our forests play a critical role in supporting communities and the rural economy. Our Nation's forests provide us with homegrown timber, essential for wood products, such as lumber, flooring, furniture, pulp and paper, biomass, and so much more.

The U.S. forest products industry employs more than 925,000 Americans, generating a payroll of nearly $80 billion nationwide.

Harvest on national forestland is also critical for supporting rural school districts through county payments derived from timber sales.

Our forests also provide countless recreational opportunities, such as camping, hiking, fishing, and many other activities available in the great outdoors.

However, many of our Federal forestlands remain unhealthy and continue to be at risk of catastrophic wildfire due to severe overgrowth and decades of mismanagement. Consequently, the United States has continued to see some of the largest and most intense wildfires in history over the past few decades.

During that time, these incredibly destructive wildfires have led to significant property loss; recovery costs; and, in some cases, the loss of human life.

I visited some of the afflicted areas, including Paradise, California, where the devastating Camp fire occurred in 2018. It is our responsibility as elected officials to do everything that we can to make sure that tragedies like this do not occur again.

Wildfires are truly an urgent crisis that must be immediately addressed, and Congress must do more to better support the Forest Service, our firefighters, and rural communities in forested areas.

Between 2013 and 2022, we saw an average of 61,000 wildfires annually with an average of 7.2 million acres impacted each year.

So far this year, we have seen more than 25,000 wildfire incidents with more than 1 million acres burned before fire season ever began.

The wildfires we witnessed in Los Angeles this year were just the latest reminder of the devastation that can occur when we don't proactively manage our forests and do everything possible to prevent them from breaking out in the first place.

Make no mistake that the wildfire crisis is just that, a crisis that must urgently be addressed. The good news is that, with the right management, we can do so much more to improve the health of our forests and combat the wildfire and forest health crisis head-on.

This means using all of the tools in the toolbox. That includes mechanical thinning, prescribed fire, and cross-boundary authorities. That also includes expanded use of good neighbor agreements, stewardship contracts, and other innovative agreements to maximize management possibilities through partnerships between stakeholders, private forest owners, Tribes, and local, State, and Federal Government.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the forestry title that passed out of the Agriculture Committee last year which was crafted to expand those tools and authorities and encourage the Forest Service to do more productive management. Such reforms will enable the agency to improve forest health, reduce the threat of wildfire, increase the pace and scale of restoration, and ultimately protect communities, property, and lives.

Many of these concepts can be found in the Fix Our Forests Act, which was passed on a bipartisan basis this past January.

Additionally, I applaud the recent actions by the Trump administration to dramatically scale up the management across the National Forest System.

Encouraging this ramp-up will enable the Forest Service to better manage, support local counties and economies through increased sustainable harvest levels, address invasive species and forest health, and ultimately reduce the severity and instances of wildfires.

During this Wildfire Awareness Month, it is important that Members understand the great challenges that our Nation has with wildfire and that there are many steps that the Federal Government can take to proactively mitigate it.

Perhaps most importantly, we must also recognize the dedication and sacrifices of our wildland firefighters to act when disaster strikes and keep communities safe.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our firefighters, first responders, and all who are working to confront this crisis as we recognize Wildfire Awareness Month.

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