Congresswoman Schrier Introduces Legislation to Improve Forest Health and Management

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) and Barry Moore (AL-01) introduced the Forest Data Modernization Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would modernize data collection efforts of the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. This legislation will meet the needs of forestry stakeholders who have identified a need to modernize the FIA program to meet the rapidly growing market demand for standardized, high-quality data to support sustainable forest management decisions. A bipartisan companion bill was introduced in the Senate today as well by Senators Ossoff (GA) and Cassidy (LA). 

“Mitigating risk in our forests has become ever more important with increasing intensity of wildfires and lengthening wildfire season throughout the West,” said Congresswoman Schrier. “Land managers and fire chiefs need reliable information about forest health to effectively work to prevent catastrophic fire, mobilize wildland firefighters during fire, and perform forest restoration work afterward. This legislation will strengthen the FIA program to provide critical data needed to take action to help prevent devastating wildfires and support sound land management.

"Our nation’s foresters deserve updated technology and easily accessible data to help meet the demands of a rapidly growing market," said Congressman Moore. "I am grateful to my colleagues for joining me to introduce legislation that ensures foresters, forestry stakeholders, and the American public have access to standardized, high-quality data to support their decisions."

This legislation accomplishes a necessary upgrade of our national forest data by delivering the most accurate, helpful information possible to key forestry industry stakeholders and the public alike. It improves:  

• Data accessibility - by requiring the publication of summary statistics every two years and the creation of a fee-for-service program to handle complex data requests.  
• Data usability - by directing the FIA to measure forest carbon and requiring that clear definitions are provided with FIA data to ensure better interpretability of datasets which would allow the forestry sector to leverage collected data consistently.  
• Data collection - by recommending consideration of advanced technologies for data collection, such as satellite sensors and computer models that could improve data accuracy and reduce costs, as well as codifying existing surveys on wood use and forest landownership to ensure continued availability of datasets on which forestry stakeholders rely.  
• FIA program transparency - by requiring the existing FIA strategic plan to be updated, that future updates be made every five years, and that FIA costs and priorities be published annually.

“Georgia leads the nation in forestry. I’ve worked closely with Georgia foresters to write this bipartisan bill that will support the efficient management of Georgia’s forests,” said Sen. Ossoff “Senator Cassidy and I are introducing this bipartisan bill to help support this vital industry for our state and Georgia’s beautiful woodlands.”

“Louisiana benefits when we use all our natural resources, including timber,” said Dr. Cassidy. “New data is a fantastic opportunity to better manage and support our forests.”

"The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program is essential to our work to restore and maintain healthy, wildfire resilient forests," said Whitney Forman-Cook, Senior Policy Advisor for Forests and Fire at The Nature Conservancy. "We use FIA data to track forest conditions and land-use trends, and to assess wildfire risk nationwide. This bill will result in more timely, nationally consistent data sets and a road map to leverage best available tools and technologies for forest management decisions. We applaud Representatives Schrier and Moore for introducing this bipartisan bill that will benefit forest stewardship nationwide.”   

“We applaud Representatives Schrier and Moore on the reintroduction of The Forest Data Modernization Act, which will support private working forests and strengthen the economic benefits rural communities need to thrive,” said Dave Tenny, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO). “This bipartisan bill will modernize the U.S. Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program to ensure private working forest owners have the relevant, timely, and accurate forest and forest carbon data they need to fully unlock the economic and environmental potential of our forests. Investing in FIA modernization will improve forest stewardship, market innovation, and rural job creation in ways that benefit all Americans. The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) eagerly anticipates collaborating with Representatives Schrier and Moore, as well as the entire Congress, to strengthen forest stewardship through the successful passage of the Forest Data Modernization Act.”

“For nearly a century, the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis Program –referred to as “America’s Forest Census” – has been recognized as a world leader in national-scale forest data collection and analysis,” said National Association of State Foresters (NASF) President and Maine State Forester, Patty Cormier. “Implemented in partnership with many state forestry agencies, FIA provides crucial data to aid in forest management decisions by states and many others in the forestry sector. Modernizing FIA will greatly help with the production of high-quality, standardized and easily accessible data that will continue to drive smart and efficient outcomes on the ground that benefit our nation’s forests and rural economies.”