(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — On Thursday, Montana United States Republican Congressman Troy Downing introduced the Accelerating Forest Management Act, legislation to codify the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) categorical exclusion for timber salvage projects in order to speed up active forest management, reduce wildfire risk, and support rural economies.
The legislation would permanently authorize streamlined environmental reviews for routine timber salvage projects up to 5,000 acres on BLM lands, helping federal land managers remove dead and dying timber before it fuels catastrophic wildfire.
This legislation also includes a 7-year reauthorization of the Forest Ecosystem Health and Recovery Fund, ensuring BLM has the resources needed to effectively respond to wildfires and support proactive forest health and risk reduction activities.
