Dear Editor:
Relative to recent articles about LA fires, our forests face an escalating crisis of catastrophic wildfires, intensified by years of fire suppression and climate change, which the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) aims to address through improved federal management. This bipartisan Senate legislation seeks to restore forest health, enhance resilience, and protect communities by increasing the pace and scale of restoration efforts. It deserves support because it streamlines environmental reviews to expedite crucial fuel-reduction projects, strengthens community wildfire defense programs (including those for buildings and homes), and fosters collaboration among federal, state, and tribal entities for a more unified approach to prevention and response. Passing FOFA will allow land managers to proactively treat fire-prone lands, ultimately safeguarding our environment, water resources, and local homes from devastating mega-fires. It has already been passed by the House and we should urge Senators Schiff and Padilla to pass this vital, common-sense reform.
Sincerely,
Chia Tan
Carlsbad, CA