Gerry Gray

Washington, D.C.-based American Forests applauded the July 10 passage of H.R. 5541—the Federal Land Assistance Management and Enhancement Act (FLAME). The bill is an important step toward establishing a federal emergency fund for suppression of large and costly wildfires. Costs associated with fire suppression have escalated due to hazardous fuels building up, climate change and increasingly populated wildland/urban interface areas, costing the U.S. Forest Service in excess of $1 billion in six of the last eight years, while other program funds have been dramatically reduced. American Forests has been a key advocate for creating a supplemental fund for fighting catastrophic wildfires. In