AJR 10

Introduced by Assembly Member Rogers
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Alvarez, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, Dixon, Elhawary, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Mark González, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Jackson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Michelle Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, and Zbur)
 Relative to the United States Forest Service.
the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service: federal funding.
This measure would call on the President of the United States to honor his promise to save American lives and communities through forest management and wildfire risk reduction projects, would request that he veto any legislation that defunds the United States Forest Service and work with Congress to protect and improve these programs, and would call for related congressional action.
WHEREAS, Federal forest management dates back to 1876 when Congress created the office of Special Agent in the United States Department of Agriculture to assess the quality and conditions of forests in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Established in 1905, the United States Forest Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, is the nation’s foremost federal forestry organization, managing federal lands for timber production, outdoor recreation, energy and mineral development, livestock grazing, watershed protection, and wildlife habitat; and
WHEREAS, The United States Forest Service is a world leader in forest research, providing essential direction in the sustainable management, conservation, use, and stewardship of natural and cultural resources on national forests and grasslands in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The United States Forest Service manages 193,000,000 acres of forests and grasslands around the country and estimates a backlog of about 63,000,000 acres and 70,000 communities at risk from catastrophic wildfire; and
WHEREAS, The United States Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region manages over 20,000,000 acres across 18 national forests in California, which make up almost one half of California’s forests; and
WHEREAS, The increasing severity and frequency of wildfires have placed extraordinary pressure on the United States Forest Service, which must double hazardous fuel treatments over the next decade to reduce the risk of wildfire by 80 percent; and
WHEREAS, California has been disproportionately impacted by worsening wildfire seasons, with the state experiencing 9 of the 10 largest fires in its history within the past decade, destroying thousands of homes, displacing entire communities, and costing lives; and
WHEREAS, As wildfire seasons have grown in both length and severity, wildland fire management costs have increased, with $2.4 billion of the United States Forest Service’s annual budget of $8.9 billion dedicated to wildfire suppression; and
WHEREAS, It has been shown that postwildfire rehabilitation costs can exceed the costs of wildfire suppression by 2 to 30 times, underscoring the necessity of proactive wildfire prevention, forest restoration, and hazardous fuel reduction efforts; and
WHEREAS, The environmental devastation caused by severe wildfires includes widespread air and water pollution, carbon emissions that exacerbate climate change, loss of biodiversity, and long-term damage to watersheds, making wildfire prevention an urgent priority for California’s public health, safety, and environment; and
WHEREAS, Cooperative efforts between federal, state, and local agencies are key in responding to emergencies such as wildfires, with coordinated efforts improving suppression effectiveness, resource allocation, and public safety measures; and
WHEREAS, The United States Forest Service and the State of California have committed to maintain and restore healthy forests and rangelands that reduce public safety risks, protect natural and built infrastructure, and enhance ecological habitat and biological diversity; and
WHEREAS, National forests support the $81.5 billion recreation economy in California and are essential for creating opportunities for access to the outdoors; and
WHEREAS, National forests in California allow opportunities for sustainable recreation, such as hiking, biking, skiing, and camping, with more than 35,000,000 visitors each year; and
WHEREAS, National forests in California offer grazing leases and responsible timber harvesting; and
WHEREAS, Watersheds within national forests serve as important sources of water supply for California; and
WHEREAS, United States Forest Service employees are integral to land stewardship, serving as qualified wildland firefighters, search-and-rescue personnel, trail maintenance crew members, campground managers, and environmental educators, ensuring public lands remain safe, accessible, and ecologically sound; and
WHEREAS, Removing United States Forest Service employees from their jobs prevents the functions that keep the land intact, including clearing downed trees from trails, conducting fire prevention and postfire restoration work, maintaining campgrounds, and ensuring that all land uses comply with federal laws; now, therefore, be it
 Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly,  That the Legislature calls on the President of the United States to honor his promise to save American lives and communities through forest management and wildfire risk reduction projects, and requests that he veto any legislation that defunds the United States Forest Service and instead, work with Congress to protect and improve these programs; and be it further
 Resolved,  That the Legislature opposes cuts to the United States Forest Service, as well as proposals to indirectly cut wildfire prevention, wildfire suppression, and other forest management efforts by defunding them, while giving tax breaks to multinational corporations and billionaires, and calls on our state’s Representatives in Congress to vote against cuts to the United States Forest Service budget and staffing levels, and to support legislation to protect and improve the federal government’s forest management activities in California; and be it further
 Resolved,  That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.