WASHINGTON — House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) delivered the following opening statement at today's hearing, "For the Purpose of Receiving Testimony from Chief Tom Schultz, U.S. Forest Service."
Remarks as prepared:
Good morning to the Members of the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture, and welcome to Chief Tom Schultz.
Today we will hear the expert testimony of the Chief of the Forest Service, the head of a government agency tasked with the immense responsibility of carefully stewarding nearly 200 million acres of public lands located within the national forest system. Long ago, the Organic Administration Act of 1897 established that “no national forest shall be established, except to improve and protect the forest within the boundaries, or for the purpose of securing favorable conditions of water flows, and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of citizens of the United States…”
It is important that we comprehend just how prophetic those words were some 130 years ago. The Forest Service was not established simply to fulfill a single purpose, whether that purpose be environmental or economic. It was founded with both in mind, and since then the agency has always been multifaceted. Or in other words, our national forests have always been intended for multiple use purposes.
Benefits to watersheds and forest stands in one part of the country can easily impact the quality and availability of critical commodities far from the forest, which makes me even more grateful for the foresight that our nation had when the agency was founded so many years ago.
However, while it is important to note that although the Forest Service has served its purpose well for over a hundred years, the system continues to face significant challenges for a variety of reasons. These include overgrowth and invasive species outbreaks, underutilization of active forest management tools, frivolous litigation, growing maintenance backlogs, and decisions to take vast swaths of public lands out of both management and active production, all of which have contributed to the generational decline in the overall health of the National Forest System.
As a result, many regions, particularly in the west where national forests are more prevalent, continue to face true wildfire and forest health crises — necessitating urgent actions in response. While we have seen some of the most destructive fire years on record over the past decade or more, this trend is continuing as 2026 is on track to be one of the most severe in recent years.
So far this year, we have seen more than 3.9 million acres burn and more than 40,000 fires nationwide. Currently, firefighters are working to contain some 72 large fires in states including my home state of Washington. We are seeing a new fire start nearly every day due to dry weather, lightning, and poorly managed forests. As we speak, firefighters are still working to contain a fire that started in the northern part of my district at the end of last week — which has grown to nearly 70,000 acres.
Given the increased number of fires and acres burned each year, it is clear that more needs to be done to improve forest health, reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire on high-risk acres, and protect our most vulnerable communities.
On top of that, we have seen a dramatic decline in timber harvest in the national forest system, which negatively impacts both forest and rural economic health, as well as important support for local counties and public schools.
It is for these many reasons I am thankful for the initiative shown by the administration and the Forest Service over the last year and a half to increase the scope and scale of hazardous fuels reductions across the National Forest System, and efforts to expand timber harvest levels to help meet our conservation goals while supporting rural economies. While there are questions on the pending agency reorganization, I am hopeful that such structural changes will in the long run result in more locally-led decision-making and more efficient on-the-ground management — and more management at the landscape scale.
Chief Schultz, you have been an indispensable component of this administration’s efforts to reprioritize the founding mission of the United States Forest Service, and for that, I thank you. It is also critical that we thank those around you, especially those who are currently fighting fires across the country, and at great self-risk to protect the lives and property of their fellow Americans.
With that in mind, I would like to take a moment to recognize Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson, three firefighters who tragically lost their lives in the Knowles fire in Colorado just a few weeks ago on June 29th. We also recognize those who were injured in that fire and Nicholas Dale, a pilot who lost his life on July 12th in the Gold Mountain Fire in Colorado. We’re forever grateful for their service and for those who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our communities. At this time, please join me for a moment of silence in acknowledgement of these brave firefighters.
Our thoughts and prayers are also with their families and friends during this difficult time.
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the fires currently raging in my own district, which have destroyed hundreds of homes and the landscape of Washington State which is so precious to many.
Chief, we look forward to hearing your thoughtful insight on the important work your agency is completing and the ways that Congress can more effectively support it, as well as any updates you have on the ongoing fire season.
We much appreciate your time and thank you for being with us here today. With that, I yield to Ranking Member Salinas for any opening remarks she would like to provide.
