Bill aims to better manage forests, reduce wildfire risk

This summer, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch introduced the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act, with Rep. Russ Fulcher introducing the House companion bill.

The legislation introduced by the Idaho Republicans would extend full partnership eligibility for the Good Neighbor Authority program – which facilitates federal forest restoration and management projects – to tribes and counties.

“The 2021 wildfire season underscores the need to use every tool in the toolbox to mitigate wildfire risk. The GNA program is just such a tool. Congress made the decision to extend GNA to Tribes and Counties in 2018, and we owe it to them to do so correctly,” said Risch in introducing the bill. “This legislation gives all GNA partners the greatest ability to collaborate on forest management projects and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires across the West.”

This bill, which was introduced on July 27, is in the first stage of the legislative process. The bill is assigned to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee and, in the House, to the House Agriculture committee.

“Tribes and counties in Idaho have the authority to decrease their reliance on federal land managers and oversee Idaho’s forests to reduce wildfire risk, but their current financial resources are lacking because they cannot retain receipts like the states. This financial hurdle is addressed by the ‘Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act,’ allowing tribes and counties to fully utilize the Good Neighbor Authority, ensuring new cooperative management projects throughout Idaho,” said Fulcher.

Supporters of the legislation, including Idaho Gov. Brad Little, said the bill has many benefits.

“Idaho has demonstrated true leadership in the management of federal lands in our state," Little said. "The level of collaboration across so many diverse interests and levels of government is a testament of our commitment to getting more people to work in our forests, reducing the risk of fire, and improving the overall health of our lands for future generations of Idahoans to use and enjoy.”

Good Neighbor agreements allow the USDA Forest Service to enter into agreements with state forestry agencies to implement projects that benefit national forests.

"It is simply good government for forest management to be undertaken in the most timely and cost-efficient manner, and GNA helps us do tha," Greg Josten, president of the National Association of State Foresters, said. "This legislation would broaden Good Neighbor Authority for tribes and counties, thereby enhancing cross-boundary forest management capacity; we are proud to endorse it.” 

The Good Neighbor Authority program has allowed the U.S. Forest Service to partner with states on federal forest restoration and management projects to improve wildlife habitats, enhance watersheds, and reduce wildfire risks. In the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress amended GNA to make Tribes and Counties eligible to enter into Good Neighbor Agreements. However, Tribes and Counties were not afforded the same authority as states to retain GNA project receipts to reinvest in conservation, reducing a significant incentive to partner on forest management projects.

Additionally, the 2018 Farm Bill removed the ability for restoration services to take place off of federal lands. This means adjacent state, tribal, county, and other land that is essential to the health and productivity of National Forests can no longer be restored as comprehensive landscapes.

The Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act provides Tribes and Counties with the ability to reinvest receipts in authorized restoration and enables all GNA partners to perform restoration not just on federal lands, but also on lands approved under the project’s Good Neighbor Agreement.