WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 21, 2018) – The following statement can be attributed to Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation, in regards to the inclusion of a policy fix within the FY2018 Appropriations Bill to the wildfire funding challenges within the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Interior budgets:

“We applaud Congress for their leadership in pushing through a comprehensive wildfire fix after years of hard work. This bi-partisan fix will address both the budgetary erosion that has been occurring for the past ten years, as well as the ‘fire borrowing’ from other programs when funds have been exhausted.”

“While most think of our wildfire and wildfire funding challenges as a public lands issue, it also, very much, affects private lands and private and family forest owners. Funds to fight wildfires were eating up more than 50 percent of the U.S. Forest Service budget, causing other programs, such as those that support family forest owners, to suffer. This fix will allow these vital assistance programs to operate as needed to help forest owners implement important forest practices that will get ahead of the wildfire challenges, and prevent future catastrophic level fires.”  

About the American Forest Foundation

The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a forest conservation organization, works on the ground with families, partners and elected officials to promote stewardship and protect our nation’s forest heritage. A commitment to the next generation unites our nationwide network of forest owners working to keep our forests healthy and producing the clean water, wildlife habitat and sustainable wood supplies that all Americans count on from forests.