House forestry panel presses for broader U.S. forest management as wildfire risks rise

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U.S. forest management and wildfire risks

Highlights

House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry Chairman Dan Newhouse stated over 3.9 million acres have already burned in 2026, with 40,000 fires nationwide and 72 large fires active.
Newhouse highlighted that a sustained drop in timber harvests across nearly 200 million Forest Service acres weakens rural economies and forest conditions, reducing county and school support.
Ongoing agency reorganization aims to boost locally led decisions, efficiency, and landscape-scale management, as Congress seeks updates on fire season response and future support needs.

Congressional hearing focuses on forest health and fire response

As reported by the House Committee on Agriculture, House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture Chairman Dan Newhouse used his opening statement at a hearing with U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz to argue for more active management across the National Forest System.

Newhouse said the Forest Service oversees nearly 200 million acres of public land and that its mission has long combined environmental stewardship with economic use. He said the system now faces mounting pressures including forest overgrowth, invasive species, underuse of management tools, litigation, maintenance backlogs and decisions that remove large areas from active management and production.

He said those pressures are contributing to a broader decline in forest health, particularly in western states where national forests are more extensive. Newhouse also said 2026 is on track to be one of the most severe fire years in recent years, with more than 3.9 million acres burned and more than 40,000 fires nationwide so far this year.

According to his remarks, firefighters are currently working to contain about 72 large fires, including in Washington state, and a fire that began in the northern part of his district at the end of last week has grown to nearly 70,000 acres. He said dry weather, lightning and poorly managed forests are contributing to new fire starts almost daily.

Rural economies and agency structure remain in focus

Newhouse said a sustained drop in timber harvests across the national forest system is hurting both forest conditions and rural economic health, while also reducing support for local counties and public schools. He welcomed what he described as administration and Forest Service efforts over the past year and a half to expand hazardous fuels reduction and raise timber harvest levels in support of conservation goals and rural economies.

He also said questions remain about the agency's pending reorganization, but added that he is hopeful the changes will lead to more locally led decisions, greater efficiency and broader landscape-scale management. The hearing is also intended to gather updates from Schultz on the ongoing fire season and on how Congress can better support the agency's work.

Newhouse used part of his statement to thank firefighters working across the country and to honor those killed in recent Colorado fires, including Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson in the Knowles fire on June 29, and pilot Nicholas Dale in the Gold Mountain Fire on July 12. He also said fires in his own district have destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged parts of Washington state's landscape.

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