With summer officially underway, the media is already abuzz with predictions of climate change-driven widespread wildfire in the coming months.

Fortunately, some federal lawmakers are advancing solutions that many rural Westerners believe gets to the real problem behind these fires: forest management – or rather, the perceived lack of management by federal agencies, driven in part by environmental litigation.

Two large wildfires already broke out in Oregon this spring, and a warmer and drier summer may contribute to more widespread fires breaking out in other parts of the Pacific Northwest.

Recently, residents in New Mexico were ordered to evacuate due to a wildfire that grew to more than 5,000 acres in one day.

For much of the West Coast, hillsides and mountains are dense with vegetation after two back-to-back wet winters. Because of that, we’re likely to see more dangerous fires that threaten stands of larger trees later this summer.

The unhealthy state of our national forests has led to catastrophic wildfires that threaten the reliability, volume, and quality of water for tens of millions of Americans, along with the wildlife, recreational, and multi-purpose values of these lands.

Burdensome regulations and frivolous litigation remain the primary obstacles hindering better forest management outcomes.

Related:Conservation group likes Farm Bill’s forestry provision

Wildfires across the West have become stronger and burned longer in recent years, and the smoke generated by these conflagrations can impact ecologies hundreds of miles away.

Several key physical, chemical, and biological processes in lakes are controlled by factors affected by smoke. A recent study by the Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network found that the resulting smoke plumes can travel hundreds to thousands of miles, reflecting or scattering sunlight and depositing particles within ecosystems. Across North America, 89% of lakes were impacted by wildfire smoke for at least 30 days between 2019-2021.

Fortunately, members of Congress continue to push for legislation that encourages more active forest management and support community resiliency to wildfires by expediting environmental analyses, reducing frivolous lawsuits and increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration projects. 

The House last September passed H.R. 1567, which requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior to submit accurate reports regarding hazardous fuels reduction activity and implement standardized procedures for tracking data related to such activities.

Earlier this month, U.S. Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) introduced the Fix Our Forests Act. Among other things, this bill will simplify and expedite environmental reviews for forest management projects; promote federal, state, tribal and local collaboration; and deter frivolous litigation that delays essential projects.

Senate Agriculture Committee Republicans released their farm bill framework earlier this month that injects more flexibility into implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act for forest projects that reduce potential wildfire fuel. Similar provisions were included in the House farm bill that passed the House Agriculture Committee in late May.

These actions are encouraging, and it’s something we will need to see more of if we truly want to restore the health of our Western watersheds.

[Keppen is executive director of Family Farm Alliance.]