New bill introduced to allow removal of hazardous trees near power lines on federal land; USFS will start prescribed burns in MT as winter nears
Chavez-DeRemer intros bill to allow removal of hazardous trees near power lines on federal land without a timber sale. KTVZ – Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), David Valadao (CA-24), and Jim Costa (CA-21) have introduced bipartisan legislation they say would reduce the risk of wildfires across the West and nation by streamlining removal of hazardous trees near power lines on federal land.
The Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act would allow the U.S. Forest Service to approve the removal of hazardous trees near power lines on federal land without requiring a timber sale – easing a serious threat that has been a major cause of destructive wildfires in the past. “We must keep exploring all options available to prevent wildfires from scorching precious land and destroying our communities. I’m honored to join Congressman Carbajal to introduce the bipartisan Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act, which would make it easier for electric cooperatives and companies to remove branches near electric equipment. It’s a commonsense proposal that would help prevent one major cause of devastating wildfires,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “The causes of wildfires are not a mystery to us. We know that downed trees and dead branches pose a serious threat when dry and windy conditions set in on the West Coast. But right now, red tape can get in the way of us removing those risk factors from public lands,” said Carbajal. “Our bill is a no-brainer for western states who have seen electrical equipment and dry, dead trees combine to create devastating wildfires in recent years. Eliminating the unnecessary administrative need for a timber sale will reduce our wildfire risk and protect the communities we represent.”
Currently, the Forest Service requires utility companies to keep trees and branches away from power lines on federal land. However, fallen or dead trees cannot be cleared without a timber sale, creating an administrative step that can slow the clearing of hazardous fuel and potential triggers for wildfires on federal land. The Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act would allow the Forest Service to provide standing permission for electrical utilities to cut and remove hazardous trees near power lines without requiring a timber sale.
Forest Service set to begin prescribed burns as winter weather looms. Bozeman Daily Chronicle – Officials are preparing to burn debris piles throughout Gallatin Valley to prevent future wildfires as winter approaches and weather conditions for safe burns develop. The work will begin next week. No closures are expected at this time, but smoke may be visible from town as the Bozeman Ranger District and Hebgen Lake Ranger District ignite piles of debris from logging operations. Near Bozeman, burns will be happening in the Hyalite, Moser, Leverich and Kirk Hill areas and the in the North Bridgers near the South Brackett, Battle Ridge and Fairy Lake Road areas. The prescribed burns will help prevent and minimize the risk of wildfires in the area. Still, fears exist of prescribed burns running out of control. “99.84% go according to plan,” according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Key to the process is assessing weather conditions, which have caused the Forest Service to forego prescribed burns in previous years. The update from the Forest Service coincides with other major wildfire-preventative projects in the area. The multi-year Bozeman Municipal Watershed (BMW) Project has been ongoing since 2021 in an attempt to protect 4,700 acres with preventative thinning, logging, and prescribed burns.