This bill would put forests and endangered species on the chopping block

A new bill in Congress that puts our forests and wildlife at risk of reckless logging is coming up for a vote soon.

The so-called “Fix Our Forests” Act will open the doors for logging in ecologically sensitive national forests and roll back protections for endangered species.

That’s why we need to tell our U.S. House representatives to oppose the bill and find real solutions to our forests’ problems.

National Forests are precious refuges for wildlife

America’s national forests are a precious refuge for grizzly bears, spotted owls and other wildlife. But this bill would offer sweeping permission for a wide range of “vegetation management activities,” including clear-cutting entire groves of trees, in the name of forest fire prevention.

Forest fires are a real concern. But this bill makes fire prevention an easy excuse for anyone who wants to cut down irreplaceable century-old cedars and turn them into toothpicks or toilet paper. We already know how to manage forest fires, and it is not by chopping down swathes of forest in order to “fix” it.

We need to protect our forests, not log them

National forests are awe-inspiring hubs of biodiversity, but they also face immense threats — including numerous logging projects that target old-growth and mature forests. Endangered and threatened wildlife are already struggling to survive in these shrinking forests.

This is not the time to declare an open logging season. Instead, we should be talking about ways to protect our forests and the endangered species within them. Let’s get back to the real issues and reject this ridiculous bill.

Tell your U.S. House representative to vote against the tree-killing “Fix Our Forests Act.”