In response to the release of drafts for the Farm Bill in Congress this week, American Forests Senior Advisor for Resilient Forests Policy Patrick Holmes issued the following statement:

American Forests applauds the leadership of the Senate and House Agriculture committees in advancing their section by section proposals for a new Farm Bill this week. From the information shared by the committees, we believe there remains tremendous opportunity to secure a bipartisan Farm Bill this year that delivers needed capacity and resources to meet diverse forestry needs, while safeguarding the many investments underway to meet emergent climate and natural resource challenges. We are especially grateful for important leadership from the Senate, as outlined in that chamber’s plan, to address reforestation needs among state and tribal partners, elevate the urban and community forestry program, and foster all-lands wildfire resilience — the top policy priorities for American Forests in this Farm Bill cycle.