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Wildfire Prevention Act of 2025
12/3/2025, 12:03 PM
Summary of Bill S 140
One of the key provisions of the bill is the promotion of active forest management practices, such as thinning and prescribed burns, to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and improve overall forest health. The bill also encourages the use of biomass energy from forest residues as a renewable energy source, which can help reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, the bill includes measures to streamline the permitting process for forest management activities and increase collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private landowners. This collaborative approach is aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of forest management efforts. Overall, Bill 119 s 140 seeks to address the forest health crisis in a comprehensive and proactive manner, with the goal of promoting sustainable forest management practices and protecting the health and vitality of the nation's forests for future generations.
Congressional Summary of S 140
Wildfire Prevention Act of 2025
This bill establishes forest management requirements for federal lands, particularly with respect to reducing wildfires.
For example, the bill establishes annual goals to increase (1) the number of acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land that are mechanically thinned (i.e., a management process related to the removal of trees and vegetation); and (2) the number of acres of Forest Service and BLM land treated by prescribed fire. By FY2029, the goals must be to increase the number of acres of each by at least 40% compared to the average number of acres of each in FY2019-FY2023.
The bill also directs the Forest Service and the BLM to (1) implement standardized procedures for tracking data relating to hazardous fuels reduction activities they carry out, and (2) develop a strategy to identify opportunities to use livestock grazing as a wildfire risk reduction tool on federal land. Additionally, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior must establish a deployment and test bed pilot program for wildfire prevention, detection, communication, and mitigation technologies.
The bill mandates use of existing authorities for streamlined environmental review for certain forest land at high risk from wildfire, insects, or disease.
Finally, the bill provides local governments and Indian tribes the right to intervene in lawsuits concerning certain projects on federal land that (1) reduce risks posed by wildfire, insects, or disease; or (2) generate revenue from harvesting timber.
