Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries conducted an oversight hearing titled “Fix Our Forests for Affordable and Reliable Water and Power Supplies.” Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) addressed concerns about federal forest management.
“Our neglected federal forests create higher wildfire risk, reduce water availability, and disrupt critical energy infrastructure. We must review the science, evaluate current management practices, and identify solutions that restore forest health while strengthening the reliability of our water and power systems. The federal government abdicated its responsibility to maintain the health of our federal forests through decades of unsafe forest management, and House Natural Resources Committee Republicans are prioritizing sound conservation policies once again,” Hageman said.
The hearing focused on how years of poor forest management practices and long-term fire suppression have resulted in millions of acres of federal forests becoming overgrown and susceptible to severe wildfires. These conditions could lead to increased costs for reliable water and power supplies throughout the western United States.
Officials discussed how dense forests can interfere with natural water cycles by reducing snowpack retention and decreasing available downstream water, even without active fires. When wildfires do occur, they can damage key infrastructure such as dams, canals, reservoirs, transmission lines, and hydropower facilities. This damage may cause power outages, limit electricity production, and put irrigation systems as well as drinking water sources at risk for many communities, farms, and businesses.
Participants at the hearing noted a growing agreement that proactive forest management strategies—such as thinning trees and using prescribed burns—can help improve forest health while also safeguarding essential water resources and energy infrastructure.
