U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) reintroduced his Salvaging American Lumber Via Action with Greater Efficiency (SALVAGE) Act on Thursday to improve forest management and decrease the risk of wildfires by expediting salvage and reforestation operations on federal lands. The bill increases flexibility and expediency for forest management on federal property, helping to lower fire risks, decrease the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere, and protect communities across California and the West.

“Comprehensive and proactive forest management strategies are the scientifically proven best practice for mitigating the risks of catastrophic wildfires on our federal lands. All too often federal regulations designed to protect our public lands have had the unintended consequence of preventing these actions and increasing the risk of wildfire in our forests. The Salvage Act helps address this problem by streamlining salvage and reforestation operations and providing increased flexibility to act when it’s needed the most,” said Rep. Obernolte.

The SALVAGE Act, now H.R. 567, creates a categorical exclusion from environmental assessments and environmental impact statements for salvage and reforestation operations carried out on public or National Forest System lands. It also creates expedited procedures for environmental assessments in cases where the categorical exclusion was not used, streamlines salvaged timber disposition, and prohibits restraining orders or injunctions against salvage and reforestation operations. In areas like California’s 23^rd Congressional District, where vast amounts of land are federally owned, this change in law would substantially improve forest management and help prevent wildfires that threaten local communities.