Healthy Forests

Restoring Communication in Wildfire Country Key to Saving Lives By Vice Chair Cliff Bentz (OR-02)  When you are deep in the forest and a wildfire is racing toward you, a warning sent to your cell phone can save your life. But what if environmental laws and regulations have delayed repair, replacement, or improvement of the very infrastructure needed to send that warning to… Read more »

Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) and Vice Chair Ryan Zinke (MT-01) released the following statements supporting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) action to rescind the Roadless Rule. This rule prevented road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvesting on almost 59 million acres of the National Forest System.   “I want to thank Secretary… Read more »

Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) and Western Caucus Vice Chair Tom Tiffany (WI-07) reacted to the Trump Administration’s wildfire prevention and response Executive Order.   “As peak wildfire season continues, President Trump is continuing to take decisive action to increase preparedness to… Read more »

Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) and Vice Chair Dan Newhouse (WA-04) celebrated passage of S. 160, the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025. Vice Chair Newhouse introduced the House companion legislation.   “During peak wildfire season, Western Caucus Members strongly support boosting all available assets to combat these disasters,” said Chairman… Read more »

Today, Representative Vince Fong (CA-20) was joined by Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) and 26 additional bipartisan members in re-introducing the Save Our Sequoias (SOS) Act. This bill will enhance interagency coordination, accelerate forest restoration efforts, and provide important resources to land managers to guard ancient sequoia trees from further… Read more »

Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) applauded U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ Secretarial Memo on promoting healthy forests and increasing timber production.   “Catastrophic wildfires are devastating the West, while frivolous regulations and endless lawsuits routinely bog down and block forest management projects,” said Chairman… Read more »

Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) released a statement supporting President Trump’s Executive Order to expand American timber production.  “President Trump’s action to immediately boost timber production is great news for the American economy,” said Chairman LaMalfa. “This move will uplift our domestic timber industry and lessen the need for imports… Read more »

Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) released the following statement following the appointment of Tom Schultz as Chief of the U.S. Forest Service.   "I want to congratulate Tom Schultz on his appointment as Chief of the U.S. Forest Service,” said Chairman LaMalfa. “His private sector experience will help develop and drive a more aggressive forest… Read more »

Today, Congressional Western Caucus members celebrated the House passage of the Fix Our Forests Act, which passed by a bipartisan vote of 279-141.   “I’m glad to see the House move swiftly to pass the Fix Our Forests Act,” said Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01). “There is no time to waste on implementing measures to combat catastrophic wildfires. The Fix Our Forests Act is a big step… Read more »

Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) released the following statements on the re-introduction of Chairman Westerman’s Fix Our Forests Act.   “As wildfires rage across my home state of California, the need for proactive forest management to reduce wildfire risk has never been more… Read more »