Congressional subcommittee urges scale-up of active forest management amid workforce and funding concerns

At a House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture hearing, members and witnesses urged Congress to accelerate active, science‑based forest management to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and to shore up declining Forest Service research and staffing capacity. Witnesses and members cited workforce cuts, shrinking markets for timber, and administrative changes that they said could impede progress.

The hearing centered on the need to "increase the pace and scale of forest management and reduce the levels of hazardous fuels across our forests," said Chairman David G. LaMalfa (first reference: Chairman David G. LaMalfa), in opening remarks. Ranking Member Maria Salinas (first reference: Representative Maria Salinas) said, "active science based management is not about clear cutting large swaths of forest. It's about targeted thinning, prescribed fire, fuels reduction," and warned that recent proposals to reorganize the Forest Service and cut programs could strip away local expertise.

Why it matters: Witnesses said insufficient staffing and shrinking R&D capacity will undercut efforts to treat high‑risk acres and to apply research in the field. Tom DeLuca, dean of the College of Forestry at Oregon State University (first reference: Tom DeLuca, dean, College of Forestry, Oregon State University), said the agency's research enterprise "has dropped by about 25% or nearly 400 permanent employees since 2024," and noted the Pacific Northwest Research Station has lost roughly 60 positions.

Many members and witnesses urged Congress to use the upcoming farm bill to provide stable authorities and funding. LaMalfa and other members cited the Farm Food and National Security Act (the farm bill) and said forestry provisions there — including expanded Good Neighbor Authority and categorical exclusions for insect and disease work — are central to speeding work on the ground.

Concerns about personnel and structure were frequent. Representative Angie Craig (first reference: Representative Angie Craig) and DeLuca both warned that Department of Agriculture proposals to centralize staff would erode local knowledge and partnerships. Salinas said the agency has "lost more than 5,000 employees amounting to nearly 15% of the total workforce," a figure used repeatedly in testimony as a measure of diminished capacity.

The hearing also revisited the debate over the 2001 Roadless Rule. DeLuca said rescinding the rule would not meaningfully reduce wildfire risk because most roadless acres are remote, steep, costly to access and less likely to be the highest‑risk areas for communities. Salinas and others pointed to research showing ignition density increases close to roads; DeLuca emphasized that priorities should remain on the wildland‑urban interface where people and property are most at risk.

Market and infrastructure constraints were highlighted as practical limits on expanding treatments. Panelists noted that harvest levels on national forests have fallen sharply from historical highs and that mill closures and weak markets make it difficult to move low‑value material off the landscape. Several witnesses urged Congress to support markets for low‑value wood, including biomass and value‑added products, to make fuels reduction economically sustainable.

What happened next: The subcommittee left the record open for 10 calendar days to receive additional materials and written responses from witnesses.

Ending: Members said they will continue oversight of Forest Service reorganization plans and seek to include forestry provisions in the farm bill to provide predictable funding and authorities for landscape‑scale work.