NewsletterSustainable Solutions

House Passage of Forestry Bill to Strengthen Housing Supply Chain

The House has passed legislation supported by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that will contribute to better forest management practices, help strengthen the nation’s housing supply chain and promote affordable housing opportunities for all Americans.

The Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471) will help improve the United States forest management system by expediting environmental reviews and ending frivolous litigation that often grinds needed forest management projects to a halt.

According to NAHB, Legal obstacles, as well as administrative barriers, have contributed to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management’s inability to effectively manage their lands. Consequently, overgrown and poorly managed forests have dramatically increased the risk of catastrophic wildfire across the country, which are extremely destructive to Americans living in fire prone areas as well as to the forest ecosystem.

Better forest management has positive ecological benefits along with the economic benefit of increasing the supply of federal timber products. Despite America’s vast timber resources, the United States does not produce sufficient lumber to meet the housing industry’s demand, requiring costly imports.

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