CALIFORNIA

U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Wildfire Caucus, announced bipartisan legislation to help permanently conserve forestlands and mitigate increasing wildfire risks. Representatives John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08) and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41) are leading companion legislation in the House.

The Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act would allow states to designate accredited nonprofit land trusts to manage conservation easements purchased with federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program (FLP). This additional flexibility would allow private landowners who are interested in conservation but do not want to sell an easement on their property to federal or state governments, as is currently required, to conserve more land.

Forest management and conservation are critical to minimizing wildfire risk by reducing hazardous fuels, building healthier and more resilient forests, and allowing for effective fire mitigation practices. By saving states money and time, this change would also expand the FLP’s impact and conservation footprint.

Protection of private forests through FLP maintains a multitude of public benefits, including clean drinking water, habitats for fish and wildlife, timber, fuel, other forest products, and activities such as hunting, fishing, camping. Since its creation in 1990, FLP has conserved over 3 million acres of forest land and expanded across the country to 53 states and territories.

Full text of the bill is available here.

~ Sens. Alex Padilla and Tim Sheehy press release