Call to Action: Urge House to Pass Forestry Reform Bill

Urge the House of Representatives to support the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a staunch advocate for increased management of our forests to improve habitat for elk and other wildlife as well as overall forest health. The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a bill Thursday, July 9, that will give the U.S. Forest Service the tools needed to do just that.

The Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015, or H.R. 2647, is the start of a push for much-needed forestry reform. It contains many valuable ideas for forest management, including direct input from RMEF. Here are a few highlighted provisions that would benefit sportsmen and habitat:

• Encourages and speeds Forest Service backlogs for wildlife habitat improvement for elk, deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and other “early seral” species
• Authorizes a categorical exclusion to improve, enhance, or create early successional forests for wildlife habitat improvement
• Seeks to reduce the incentives and threat of litigation, which has encumbered half of the Forest Service’s forest management projects and has largely been filed by groups that have not been willing to participate in the collaborative process 
• Allows the Forest Service to tap disaster funds during bad wildfire years when the costs exceed what Congress has appropriated, thereby protecting other accounts from being depleted that pay for recreation and habitat enhancement 

Find your congressional representative here. Go here to email your representative and urge them to vote YES on H.R. 2647 before Thursday’s vote.

Thank you for giving attention to this most worthy effort.

Sincerely,

David Allen
RMEF President and CEO