The House Agriculture Committee is currently marking up the 2026 Farm Bill (H.R. 7567), and it contains a dangerous payload. Core provisions from the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA, H.R. 471/S. 1462) have been folded into this “must-pass” legislation, threatening to dismantle decades of forest protections. We need your help fending off both FOFA and the effort to add its provisions to the Farm Bill!
Silencing the Public, Ignoring the Science, Compromising the Land
These bills assault citizen involvement in public land management decisions. They strike a blow to transparency by expanding Categorical Exclusions from 3,000 to 10,000 acres (15.6 sq. miles). Categorical Exclusions allow the Forest Service to bypass environmental reviews and public input, and this legislation would more than triple the size of projects that can be exempted from public and scientific scrutiny.
In “Fireshed Management Areas” (FMAs, up to 250,000 acres each), this legislation will remove long-standing accountability requirements. These FMAs are designed to grease the skids of industrial “forest management” to eliminate the “friction” of public review and comment.
Prioritizing Extraction Over Resilience
FOFA and the 2026 Farm Bill ignore fire ecology in favor of intensive, extractive uses:
- A “24-Hour Suppression Rule” ignores fire ecology science showing the benefit of natural fires, which are essential for long-term forest health.
- A “presumption of no jeopardy” for wildfire-mitigation logging weakens the Endangered Species Act, exacerbating threats to fish & wildlife.
- “Emergency Situation Determinations” will bypass important reviews for protecting wildlife & heritage resources.
Please Take Action
Call the Capitol Switchboard
Dial 202-224-3121 to be connected directly to your representative’s and senators’ offices. Speaking with a staffer is one of the most powerful ways to influence the vote.
Message for Representatives: “Do not sacrifice public involvement and sound science for industrial logging. Strip the ‘Fix Our Forests Act’ provisions from the Title VIII Forestry section of the Farm Bill (H.R. 7567).”
Message for Senators: “Oppose S. 1462, the Fix Our Forests Act. Protect our National Forests by rejecting mandates that undermine NEPA and ignore the ecological benefits of natural fire.”
Or send your message via the Web
Contact Your U.S. Representative About H.R. 7567, the “2026 Farm Bill” via your Representative’s official contact form at House.gov.
Contact Your U.S. Senators About S. 1462 “Fix Our Forests Act” (FOFA) via your two Senators’ contact forms at Senate.gov.
Photo: Industrial logging in southern Oregon. The provisions of the Fix Our Forest Act will accelerate logging pm our national forests while restricting scientific review and public comment.
