Ryan Zinke's Pioneering Forest Reform Advances out of Committee, Floor Vote Expected in Coming Weeks

Press Release

Today the House Committee on Natural Resources voted in favor of Congressman Ryan Zinke's forest reform legislation as part of a broader forestry bill, HR 2647 "The Resilient National Forests Act of 2015." Zinke introduced H.R. 2644, The National Forest Collaborative Incentive Act of 2015 late in the afternoon of Wednesday June 3rd in a Natural Resources Committee hearing. The following afternoon, Rep. Bruce Westerman (Ark) re-introduced the Congressman's bill as part of his larger forestry package. The larger bill is the collaboration of Reps. Zinke, Westerman, and McClintock (CA), and features Democratic co-sponsor Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ). Zinke's bill aims to prevent wildfires, encourage collaborative projects in National Forests, improve conservation efforts, and discourage predatory litigation via a collection of reforms that require no new mapping, regulations nor added costs to the Forest Service or taxpayer, making the bill workable on day one. His reforms will only require bonds for litigants who chose not to participate in the collaborative process.

Rep. Zinke said: "Finally, real timber reform for Montana is within reach. Rural timber communities have seen their economies decimated in recent years largely due to frivolous litigation on timber sales; but thanks to these reforms, all that could change. Working together we were able to craft comprehensive legislation that encourages collaboration and addresses the most pressing issues facing our forests, wild fires and litigation, while also strengthening conservation and rehabitation efforts. I look forward to the upcoming vote on the House floor and am hopeful for bipartisan support in the Senate."

The bill survived multiple assaults by members from states that do not have national forests, and it enjoys wide ranging support from conservation groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Wild Turkey Foundation, Montana Loggers, local county commissioners and former Forest Service Chief Bosworth. Recently, the InterTribal Timber Council announced support for the bill (letter available).

Also, current Forest Service Chief Tidwell expressed optimism for the bill, writing: "The Forest Service is encouraged by many of the goals outlined within it and we look forward to working further with you and your staffs. As a general matter, the Forest Service welcomes legislation that incentivizes collaboration and expands the toolset we can use to complete critical work on our nation's forests, without overriding environmental laws. It is encouraging that, unlike other recent forestry bills we have seen, this bill does not contain troublesome provisions such as those that would mandate harvest levels, require a new layer of zoning on the National Forests, or elevate one use over another on these multiple-use lands."

Former Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth said, "Analysis paralysis has been a problem for the Forest Service for a long time. Legislation is needed to get the money and the people out on the ground restoring our forests rather than in the office, sitting behind a computer doing analysis and documentation that doesn't add to the quality of the projects. This bill is a good start and a great way to get the discussion going."

Dave Schulz, Madison County Commissioner said, "I am very encouraged of efforts by Representative Zinke and members of the House to develop the National Forest Collaborative Incentive Act of 2015. This Act provides Forest managers and collaboratives working together the tools to successfully develop and implement projects that benefit the health of our severely impacted and under managed forests across the country. Implementation of this Act also helps local leaders such as myself protect the Health, Safety and Welfare of our citizens, a duty I am sworn to uphold!"

"Responsible forest stewardship in Montana is too important to leave to judicial digression," said Keith Olson, Executive Director of the Montana Logging Association. "Congressman Zinke's bill includes common sense reforms that strengthen collaborative projects against out of state litigants and helps protect our forests from wildfires. Montana Loggers are committed to responsible and sustainable timber harvests that build local economies; Rep Zinke's reforms help us do just that."

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