Representatives of three California tribes testified in support of H.R.3846, the Tribal Forest Protection Act, at a hearing on Wednesday.

The bill would authorize tribes to enter into contacts to thin and treat federal forest lands. It is designed to reduce the threat of wildfires to reservations but would also apply to other environmental threats.

In recent years, tribes have been hit by fires that originated on federal lands. Tribal leaders from southern California, which was hit by two major fires last year, said their lands are at risk from fires, mudslides and other disasters.

Get the Story:
Tribes seek federal lands access to keep threats off reservations (AP 4/22)

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