Prescribed burns central to wildfire legislation moving through Congress

A bipartisan piece of legislation that could have big impacts on the nation’s forest land continues to move quickly through Congress, pushing through a Senate committee last month.

The Fix Our Forests Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate in April and co-sponsored by Sen. Tim Sheehy, along with Senators from California, Utah and Colorado.

The legislation seeks to promote prescribed burns, expand the state-federal Good Neighbor Authority program, increase collaboration among fire agencies and improve reforestation efforts after fires. It also makes some rule changes that could impact how areas designated as high fire danger are managed and how projects in those areas proceed.

“Better stewardship of our forests is not a partisan issue; it’s an imperative to securing a stronger economy, healthier forests, and safer communities,” Sheehy said in a press release. “I’m proud to see the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act move forward in the legislative process, and I’ll continue fighting alongside my colleagues to enact commonsense reforms that ensure proper forest management, unleash the resource economy, and protect American communities from the threat of wildfire.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/11/10/prescribed-burns-central-to-wildfire-legislation-moving-through-congress/