'Good neighbor' bill could aid thinning

摘要

Forest policy groups that cheered the 2018 farm bill for expanding the federal government's timber-cutting agreements with states and localities are beginning to see one of the measure's shortcomings: The proceeds from those sales don't always flow back home. The farm bill expanded "good neighbor" authority, which allows the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to sign agreements with state and local governments to collaborate on forest management projects. The deals help forest managers maintain nonfederal land that are often adjacent to national forests and reduce wildfire risks.