Sen. Jim Risch
Idaho Sen. Jim Risch has joined Colorado Sena. Mark Udall in introducing bipartisan legislation to improve forest health and address the bark beetle infestation which has killed millions of acres of trees across the West.
The National Forest Insect and Disease Emergency Act would provide additional tools and resources to help the U.S. Forest Service slow the spread of the beetle and address the safety threats posed by dead trees. The bill does not call for additional spending, rather it would re-prioritize resources within the Forest Service to help deal with bark beetle damage.
The measurte would include establishing “insect emergency areas”; providing incentives to convert the vegetation removed from forests into biofuels; and authorizing the Forest Service to expedite analysis of the treatment work that is urgently needed in areas that are full of dead trees.
The bill would also allow the Forest Service to contract with state foresters to reduce threats next to homes and private property, which have themselves performed treatments on their property.
Additionally, it provides for implementation and additional funding for permanent “stewardship contracting” program, which allows the Forest Service to fashion agreements to perform treatment for trees that may not have high commercial value.
The bill is now before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on which Risch and Udall both serve.
