Catastrophic wildfires threaten clean and healthy environment

The forests that our federal and state governments manage are sending hundreds of millions of tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere as they burn each year. KENDALL COTTON | helenair.com | Jun 18, 2023 Forest fire season is underway in B.C. (Chris Harris/Getty Images) Even D.C. politicians are now choking under the smoke-filled air that […]

Bill to protect rural communities from wildfire passes both chambers

Recently, SB 872, which directs the State Forestry Department to collaborate with the respective Douglas & Coos Forest Protection Associations and the United States Forest Service, with a focus on protecting lands and rural communities within the wildland-urban interface from fire on federal lands through stewardship to decrease wildfire risk across Oregon through increased partnership with […]

Biden-Harris Administration Invests Nearly $200M from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Reduce Wildfire Risk to Communities across State, Private and Tribal Lands

US Department of Agriculture | usda.gov | March 20, 2023 Release & Contact InfoPress ReleaseRelease No. 0061.23Contact: USDA PressEmail: press@usda.gov WASHINGTON, March 20, 2023 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is investing $197 million in 100 project proposals benefiting 22 states and seven tribes, as part of the Community Wildfire […]

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Provides Communities Resources to Bolster Resilience to Wildfires in Advance of 2023 Fire Season

U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Interior, and other agencies continue government-wide effort to protect communities from the threat of wildfires The White House Press Release | https://www.whitehouse.gov/ | MARCH 20, 2023 Today, Vice President Harris, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and White House Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu announced $197 million in funding […]

USDA to spend $197 million to prepare for wildfires brought on by climate change

Dinah Voyles Pulver | USA TODAY | March 20, 2023 Federal officials announced $197 million in grants on Monday to help more than 100 communities and tribes across the nation become more resilient to wildfire.  The number of acres burned by wildfires in the United States has more than doubled over 30 years, said Vice President Kamala Harris, […]

CHF’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE FEDERAL WILDFIRE EMERGENCY ACT 

On January 31, 2023, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, in conjunction with Senators Feinstein, Daines, and Padilla, released the federal Wildfire Emergency Act, aimed at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire in the western United States.    The bill provides up to $250 million to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration and wildfire resilience […]

Melissa Cribbins named Executive Director of Communities for Healthy Forests

Melissa Cribbins was named Executive Director of Communities for Healthy Forests on Jan. 1, 2023, succeeding former Douglas County (OR) Commissioner, Doug Robertson. In her first conversation in her new role, Cribbins gave us a picture of her approach to leading CHF into the future. Communities for Healthy Forests: So, congratulations on being the next […]

Senator Wyden: Please Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in the Forest

I saw Senator Ron Wyden’s most recent political ad on television regarding the forest fires in Oregon. I was encouraged to find that he supports increasing efforts to reduce the unhealthy fuel loads on our Federal Forest lands through thinning projects and the use of prescribed burning. I also support his efforts to increase funding for more equipment to aid firefighters in their effort to control and suppress fires on our Federal Forest lands. I understand and appreciate Senator Wyden’s initiatives. In fact, I find them very encouraging.