[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6112414,"mediaKeyId","2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5","parentId",2747689,"title","Insurance trade group backs Fix Our Forest Act, cites massive wildfire losses and mitigation ROI","audioSeconds",340,"startMs",4051000,"endMs",4391000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5&start=4051&end=4391","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5/thumbnail_4051000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6112414/Insurance-trade-group-backs-Fix-Our-Forest-Act-cites-massive-wildfire-losses-and-mitigation-ROI","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6112414-85ee8c4852f1f3d5e3c09d41ea01e725/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557679&Signature=c8kb-dujVOIS-5bX1ulGESIrjFCw2z4~QzLmLV6OkmSLJO2UGUI45PFsVyHdq4k1Wt-ugVjkz7k02njJ5l~whQNcb~QWqaNuuSQ5TGDch7XsG~i2p5nnTpT7gh9VGeJJGryC89Blh3U3vzgSToK3D6~Lv44Zvr0mAhxTlSxvS0DxmxKZaU3LfF4GOPIWZIz1KySJqegjdhtW2uKmzH-jR0N7wmd426MB3S9xEFxZTuVVpEu8jN7K7aqa18LNIfpP56bheVdnSRo-5xY82d98f7QcXEKaK92BEMCokpgtYLRkCWHxS9YQA3S2ssE0TYObEtGhTrdlAkbc9CTD-m4KWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry","date","2025-03-06T00:00:00Z","article","Robert Gordon, senior vice president for policy research and international at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), told the committee APCIA supports the Fix Our Forest Act and outlined the industry’s view of recent wildfire losses and mitigation priorities.

Gordon said California’s recent fires caused between $95 billion and $275 billion in economic losses and that insurers had already expedited roughly $6.9 billion in payments, with final insured losses expected at $40 to $50 billion. He also said residential exposures at high wildfire risk rose about 23% in the last year.

APCIA urged investments in upfront mitigation, building resiliency standards developed by IBHS, support for resilient utility infrastructure and local adoption of fire‑resistant building codes. Gordon said the bill’s coordination provisions, support for fuel reduction, and encouragement of local building codes aligned with insurer recommendations and industry-backed commission findings.

“Unless we invest more upfront in wildfire mitigation, taxpayers are going to keep getting stuck with ever increasing costs for disaster response and recovery,” Gordon said.

Senators and witnesses discussed how insurer-backed standards, targeted fuel treatments and community planning could reduce future claims and the long-term public cost of wildfire response.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Legislative Hearing to Review H.R. 471, the Fix Our Forests Act, and Options to Reduce Catastrophic Wildfire","oneSentenceSummary","The American Property Casualty Insurance Association urged passage of HR 471, described recent catastrophic wildfire losses and urged the committee to support mitigation, resilience-building and improved coordination to limit future insurer and taxpayer costs.","taxTitle","Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Senate Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1985,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6112419,"Cow Creek tribal leader urges landscape-scale stewardship, cultural burning and statutory certainty",310,3399000,3709000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5&start=3399&end=3709","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5/thumbnail_3399000.jpg","/articles/6112419/Cow-Creek-tribal-leader-urges-landscape-scale-stewardship-cultural-burning-and-statutory-certainty","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6112419-77175de5f8284470b2c8a1f2be51ac72/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557679&Signature=EIqasmEwfFrqkOs5tJGlLv3LgyEQnQB7dYtOQAqQU1dQdr8ZOIgrGHYgOWwHFotFxZ7~qjHAnNAfwe-fjn6JzVorMF6VTMIX1p~rjEupr1L5heMixY2ex2Qlx1UU-D9dkkAFMrINLbDQqqMs6Bs8FGMhNSYGFDUuBvK9HEWN5~Hj70EFrnm~IEdJntsQznTq0af~9Tx7LOyQdXUoQSEIVtgAMmlEVc-LGOvO1odtyGXFXWMMvOagevni0xs14N2b~qQWXxHuwFKkibOO5qNhAnik66y3R1jax7s0vmyGx-hlpm6l-iPkbPKxmPfPneN10O0PUvjvB8JLf7VWY8GfSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tim Vredenberg, director of forest management for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, told the Senate committee his tribe supports the Fix Our Forest Act and urged stronger tribal roles in landscape restoration.

Vredenberg described a decade in which nearly 20% of the tribe’s reservation burned and said about 1,100,000 acres of the tribe’s ancestral area have burned repeatedly. “Fires are returning to the same places 2, 3, even 4 times, destroying the native ecosystems and replacing them with invasive species,” he said.

He told senators that historic tribal management supported 35 to 50 trees per acre, while many modern stands exceed 1,500 trees per acre, generating unprecedented fuels and hotter burn conditions. The tribal witness recommended the bill expand categorical exclusions to reach landscape scale, modify Good Neighbor Authority to empower tribal reinvestment in restoration, and incorporate tribal cultural burning practices.

Vredenberg urged agencies to consider tribal proximity when designating high-priority firesheds so that tribal lands and neighbors can coordinate treatments: “If asked and activated, tribes can vastly improve the and amplify the quality and impact of the federal, federal land managers,” he said.

His testimony framed tribal stewardship as central to protecting water, wildlife and cultural places and urged Congress to move beyond short‑term fixes toward large‑scale, locally led restoration.","Tim Vredenberg of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians testified in favor of HR 471, saying tribal stewardship and cultural burning are critical to restoring forest resilience and urging the bill to protect tribal roles and prioritize proximity to tribal lands in fireshed designations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6112424,"Witnesses warn recent firings and hiring freezes could undermine wildfire mitigation work",688,3093000,3781000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5&start=3093&end=3781","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5/thumbnail_3093000.jpg","/articles/6112424/Witnesses-warn-recent-firings-and-hiring-freezes-could-undermine-wildfire-mitigation-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6112424-ff544c64764d1b2f48a641bbe802443c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557679&Signature=KUWk9kAoSliZS3m0XVoBgGBu1nSsyMN2AfYxzmb0XvXt4~G0DV1-Isd-DgbZLW9X1avKWZpwyeGleWRmyIDWORkyG1CpJub2ucYfXHXnHXLOEA0dNVuhFzfWf9K2UyfyNfSEk4bkMuQXPY1P4SuP3z2nNZwjFaU1Y2k-9GKGL7MX58SIN7amR~L7mAG2DXBkltiCLEHkTxJs6AEJck4E5uOEbKSI3W8u7rydLTKQqGadHBsI4lh2Wwr~HAJvZ1z43RVuhPlAyLHyrw3THRsVFA~b~Jjl~bWuSWTCRdxNW~Yq~twgOrXJo1Rprpxn0NoPQxioXY2O-Js17BdqGXauqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several witnesses told the Senate committee the Forest Service’s recent personnel actions — including probationary firings and a hiring freeze — have removed staff who hold firefighting qualifications and do many essential field tasks.

Frank Bim of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees said roughly 3,400 probationary employees were dismissed and that “more than 75 percent of those dismissed employees had wildland fire qualifications.” He described the impact on field capacity and morale: “These indiscriminate reductions . . . are hollowing out the agency and jeopardizing the future of America's forests.”

Jonathan Haug, a Gunnison County commissioner who represents a county in which roughly 80% of land is federally managed, told senators the county lacks critical seasonal and full‑time staff. “In Gunnison County alone, between probationary firings and the hiring freeze for both open positions and seasonal employees, the fire service alone is short more than 50 employees that are critical to carrying out the most basic of operations,” Haug said, listing duties such as marking timber sales, clearing trails and issuing grazing permits.

Frank Bim and Haug warned that the staffing shortfall affects both prevention and suppression capacity: many of the dismissed employees hold ‘red card’ qualifications used for on-the-ground firefighting and prescribed burns. Bim told the committee that collateral-duty firefighters and forestry technicians who do critical prescribed-fire and fuels work were among those removed.

Senators pressed witnesses on near-term impacts. Ranking Member Michael Bennett noted a court ruling temporarily delaying some firings for 45 days, but witnesses said the uncertainty has already slowed projects and damaged morale. Several speakers urged Congress and agency leadership to restore staffing and pause reductions so already approved fuels projects can proceed.

The committee record remained open for additional materials; witnesses asked Congressional leaders to prioritize restoring and funding the Forest Service workforce so the statutory changes proposed in HR 471 can be implemented if enacted.","Multiple witnesses and senators said recent Forest Service personnel cuts, hiring freezes and deferred resignations are reducing capacity to complete planned fuel-reduction and timber projects, imperiling on-the-ground mitigation this summer.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6112429,"Senate hearing spotlights Fix Our Forest Act, debates NEPA changes and a national fireshed center",5752,1734000,7486000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5&start=1734&end=7486","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2747689-0ae7b941812ee53ce23bcf606834ede5/thumbnail_1734000.jpg","/articles/6112429/Senate-hearing-spotlights-Fix-Our-Forest-Act-debates-NEPA-changes-and-a-national-fireshed-center","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6112429-f8153356d1d5d8a51f737a77cd02905f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557679&Signature=bbO3izvfqRpEBS0kO5Jn98EQwGeC5S7C4n336YFbErff5A0iMEm5Ht4t4oV8TN9zA3EGzyofcre11m2jYc3huIlX-cINjg-z0rbF3mlJ8vd5qSKHLnir-VtNSt7OkP9nPTly~02tW9u0uJaEuFzeHzTQsdj9Slnkp1HeaPBuBedMHUpX7fbwRdzed-TV0bqmLtCEZoo4BQ3wcADWkw-k6obLG6Qw7dTzFg-Wv5JHOPPV9OH9ym5bwqITTchi1aefsQuelr8zvz43CXMSMghzamuKnv330pofVOBPR8sckIkvdL-UZ0z6oiuM~BLhtwujpZtdsN1Sq-XaAddsHhS0wg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chairman Marshall opened a Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing to consider HR 471, the Fix Our Forest Act, saying the House passed the measure earlier this year and calling wildfire risk a national priority.

The bill would expand categorical exclusions for fuels-reduction projects, create a national fireshed center to coordinate risk assessment and technology deployment, strengthen Good Neighbor Authority, and adopt litigation and permitting reforms aimed at speeding treatments on the ground. “MegaFire is solvable, and therefore policymakers have an obligation to do more to solve it,” Matt Weiner, founder and CEO of the nonprofit MegaFire Action, told the committee.

Why it matters: witnesses and senators said catastrophic wildfires increasingly threaten communities, water supplies and infrastructure across regions from the West to the Southeast. Supporters argued the bill targets limited resources to the highest-risk landscapes and would help scale up treatments and new technologies; skeptics cautioned the changes could weaken community input and environmental review if not carefully tailored.

Provisions described at the hearing included increasing categorical exclusions from current limits to as much as 10,000 acres for specified fuels-reduction projects, a statutory fix to address litigation stemming from the Ninth Circuit’s Cottonwood decision, creation of a fireshed center to integrate real-time intelligence and predictive modeling, and expanded tribal and Good Neighbor Authority tools.

Proponents said the package could speed landscape-scale work. Weiner cited recent examples, saying expedited reviews helped speed treatments around the Lake Tahoe Basin and after heavy sequoia losses: “The bipartisan effort led by Chairman Westerman and Representative Peters has produced a solid product,” he said.

But several witnesses and senators urged caution. County Commissioner Jonathan Haug of Gunnison County, Colorado, and Frank Bim of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees both warned that reduced Forest Service staffing and recent personnel actions are undermining the agency’s ability to implement projects the bill would authorize. Haug said Gunnison County depends on federal lands for water and economy and stressed that communities need a meaningful seat at the table in prioritizing projects. “We depend on NEPA to guarantee that our community has a seat at the table to work in an informed and cooperative manner with the Forest Service,” Haug said.

Other witnesses highlighted complementary approaches in the bill. Robert Gordon, senior vice president for policy research at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, argued the measure’s coordination, resilience-building and building-code provisions would reduce future insurer and taxpayer losses, pointing to recent catastrophic wildfire losses in California.

Committee leaders closed the hearing saying the record would remain open for additional materials and emphasizing bipartisan interest in advancing legislation. Chairman Marshall said the measure is a priority and expressed optimism about seeing it through the Congress.","A Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing brought bipartisan support for HR 471 (the Fix Our Forest Act) and detailed proposals to expand categorical exclusions, create a fireshed center and spur wildfire technology — while senators and witnesses warned the bill must preserve community input and legal review.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Insurance trade group backs Fix Our Forest Act, cites massive wildfire losses and mitigation ROI

Cow Creek tribal leader urges landscape-scale stewardship, cultural burning and statutory certainty

Witnesses warn recent firings and hiring freezes could undermine wildfire mitigation work

Senate hearing spotlights Fix Our Forest Act, debates NEPA changes and a national fireshed center