Losing the Forest for the Trees
Shawn ReganA century of fire suppression has altered the state of our forests.
Volume 41, No.1, Summer 2022
Catastrophic wildfires are sparking bipartisan interest in active forest management to reduce extreme fire risks. Earlier this year, the Biden administration unveiled a 10-year strategy to ramp up forest thinning and prescribed burns in an effort to “confront the wildfire crisis.” If fully implemented, the plan would increase these activities by up to four times current levels in the West.
But despite growing recognition of the importance of forest management, significant hurdles remain. Red tape and litigation can hinder even the most-needed projects, contributing to an 80 million-acre restoration backlog in national forests. And partnerships with states, tribes, and the private sector are needed to conduct restoration work at scale.
This special issue of PERC Reports explores these issues in detail.
