Prescribed burns a focus as Fix Our Forests Act moves through Congress – Daily Montanan

Legislative Advancements in Forest Management and Sustainable Development

Report on the “Fix Our Forests Act”

A bipartisan legislative initiative, the “Fix Our Forests Act,” is progressing through the United States Congress, having recently cleared a Senate committee. The act aims to reform national forest management, with significant implications for achieving key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to environmental protection, climate action, and community resilience.

Core Objectives and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The legislation is designed to implement a multi-faceted strategy for forest stewardship. Its primary objectives directly support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

1. Promoting Prescribed Burns: This measure aligns with SDG 15 (Life on Land) by using controlled fire to restore ecological balance, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and maintain healthy, resilient forest ecosystems.
2. Expanding Good Neighbor Authority (GNA): By enhancing the state-federal GNA program, the act fosters collaboration, directly supporting SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). This partnership model is crucial for executing large-scale restoration and management projects across jurisdictional boundaries.
3. Improving Reforestation Efforts: Post-fire reforestation is critical for carbon sequestration and ecosystem recovery, contributing to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15. The act seeks to streamline and improve these efforts.
4. Enhancing Community Safety: A central goal is to protect communities from wildfire threats, which is a core target of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), aiming to make human settlements safer and more resilient to natural disasters.

Stakeholder Perspectives and Implementation Concerns

The act has garnered support from a diverse coalition, including bipartisan political leaders and environmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society. This broad support underscores a shared commitment to the principles of sustainable resource management outlined in the SDGs.

However, concerns have been raised regarding specific provisions, particularly those that could expedite project approval within designated “emergency fireshed management” areas.

• Expedited Review Process: The act proposes to expand the size of projects (up to 10,000 acres) that can undergo a shortened environmental review process. While intended to accelerate urgent mitigation work, critics argue this could undermine the thorough environmental assessments necessary to ensure projects align with long-term sustainability and biodiversity goals under SDG 15.
• Balancing Economic and Ecological Goals: The debate reflects a tension between promoting the “resource economy” (SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth) through logging and ensuring that management practices are ecologically sound. Stakeholders like Grassroots Wildland Firefighters emphasize that not all logging constitutes effective fuel mitigation and that a comprehensive approach is needed.

Operational Challenges to Achieving Sustainable Forest Management

Despite legislative progress, significant operational barriers hinder the achievement of forest health and wildfire resilience targets.

• Decline in Mitigation Work: U.S. Forest Service data indicates a 38% decrease in hazardous fuels reduction work in 2025 compared to the previous four-year average. This decline directly impedes progress on SDG 13 and SDG 15.
• Impact of Budgetary Constraints: Federal budget cuts and administrative actions have reportedly delayed or canceled mitigation projects. Reductions in funding for support specialists and biologists compromise the scientific foundation required for effective, sustainable projects.
• Legacy of Fire Suppression: A century-long policy focus on fire suppression, rather than management, has contributed to overgrown, unhealthy forests. Overcoming this legacy is essential for transitioning to a management paradigm that recognizes fire’s natural role in many ecosystems, a key principle for achieving SDG 15.

Conclusion: An Integrated Path Forward

The Fix Our Forests Act represents a critical legislative effort to address the nation’s forest crisis through a more comprehensive and collaborative framework. Its success in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals will depend on resolving the debate over environmental review standards and overcoming the systemic operational and financial barriers that currently limit on-the-ground implementation. Achieving a non-partisan, holistic solution that integrates ecological health, community safety, and economic stability is imperative for the sustainable future of the nation’s forests.

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 15: Life on Land – The article’s central theme is the management of forests. It discusses legislation aimed at improving forest health, promoting reforestation, using prescribed burns, and mitigating wildfire risks, all of which are core components of protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – The article explicitly mentions that “climate change continues to impact forests.” The increased threat of wildfires is a climate-related hazard. The legislation and discussions around forest management are presented as urgent actions to build resilience and adapt to these climate impacts.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – A key motivation for the “Fix Our Forests Act” is to make communities safer. The article quotes a senator stating the goal is to secure “safer communities” and “protect American communities from the threat of wildfire,” which directly relates to making human settlements resilient and safe from natural disasters.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The article highlights the collaborative nature of the legislative effort. It is described as a “bipartisan piece of legislation,” co-sponsored by senators from multiple states, supported by governors, and involving collaboration between state and federal agencies through the “Good Neighbor Authority program.” It also mentions partnerships with civil society organizations like The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Under SDG 15 (Life on Land):
  • Target 15.2: “Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.” The “Fix Our Forests Act” directly addresses this by seeking to “promote prescribed burns,” “improve reforestation efforts after fires,” and enact “commonsense reforms that ensure proper forest management.”
  • Target 15.3: “Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil…” Wildfires lead to significant land degradation. The legislation’s focus on mitigating intense fires and reforesting burned areas contributes to restoring land affected by this type of disaster.
  • Target 15.5: “Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity…” The article mentions the “huge network of specialists and biologists… that do the environmental work,” implying that protecting biodiversity and natural habitats is an integral part of the forest management projects discussed.
• Under SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities):
  • Target 11.5: “Significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses… caused by disasters…” The entire premise of the legislation is to mitigate the risk of wildfires, which are natural disasters that threaten lives, property, and local economies. The goal to “protect American communities from the threat of wildfire” aligns perfectly with this target.
• Under SDG 13 (Climate Action):
  • Target 13.1: “Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.” The article acknowledges that climate change is a contributing factor to forest issues. The act of managing forests to prevent catastrophic wildfires is a direct measure to strengthen resilience against climate-related hazards.
• Under SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals):
  • Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…” The article provides clear examples of such partnerships: the bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate, the state-federal “Good Neighbor Authority program,” and the support from various environmental and advocacy groups like the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Grassroots Wildland Firefighters.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Hazardous fuels reduction work: The article provides a specific, quantifiable metric: “According to Forest Service data, hazardous fuels reduction work across their lands was down 38% in 2025 when compared with the same period during the previous four calendar years.” This serves as a direct indicator for progress (or lack thereof) in sustainable forest management (SDG 15). An increase in this work would indicate positive progress.
• Scale of forest management projects: The article mentions that the new legislation would allow for projects “as large as 10,000 acres” under a shortened review period. The number and total acreage of such projects undertaken would be a clear indicator of the implementation of forest management policies (SDG 15).
• Implementation of prescribed burns and reforestation efforts: The legislation aims to “promote prescribed burns” and “improve reforestation efforts.” The number of prescribed burns conducted and the acreage of land reforested annually would be direct indicators of progress toward these goals (SDG 15).
• Number and type of partnerships: The article implies this indicator by naming the various stakeholders involved. Progress could be measured by tracking the number of states, federal agencies, and civil society organizations actively collaborating on forest management initiatives under the “Fix Our Forests Act” (SDG 17).

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: dailymontanan.com