Forestry Bill Passes U.S. House
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The United States House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 2647, “The Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015,” a bill the National Wild Turkey Federation strongly supported and worked diligently to promote.
“We were very pleased to see the strong bipartisan support of this bill that will increase the pace of active forest management on federal lands,” said NWTF Chief Conservation Officer Becky Humphries. “This legislation will reduce planning time and speed up the implementation of projects, resulting in more habitat on the ground at less expense to taxpayers.”
Increased active forest management on federal lands will improve habitat for the wild turkey and a wide variety of species that require young forest habitat to thrive. In addition, increased management will help prevent wildfires, make it easier and less costly to fight fires when they do occur, and ensure the U.S. Forest Service does not have to stop other important work to pay for fire suppression. The law allows firefighting costs to be paid from disaster funds, much like payment for cleanup after hurricanes or other natural disasters.
“The NWTF’s dedicated members and volunteers also deserve a great deal of thanks. They noted the importance of our call to action asking them to reach out to their respective representatives for support,” said Humphries. Before the bill made it to the floor for a vote, Humphries provided testimony to the House Committee on Natural Resources – Subcommittee on Federal Lands, detailing the NWTF’s support for the legislation and offering suggestions for its improvement. NWTF also sponsored a breakfast briefing for members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and their offices, where NWTF conservation staff discussed the importance of the legislation relating to forest health, wild turkeys and other wildlife.
The NWTF is committed to working with the Senate to pass similar legislation to ensure the victory in the House of Representatives results in a law increasing and expediting forest management. NWTF’s Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to give the NWTF more energy and purpose than ever. Through this national initiative, NWTF has committed to raising $1.2 billion to conserve or enhance more than 4 million acres of essential upland wildlife habitat, create at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting, shooting and outdoor enjoyment.
Without hunters, there will be no wildlife or habitat. The NWTF is determined to Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. To learn more visit www.nwtf.org.
