WASHINGTON (July 1, 2020) – House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Chair Abigail Spanberger of Virginia welcomed the inclusion the Reforestation Trust Fund in the Manager’s amendment to the House Democrats’ infrastructure package, The INVEST in America Act, passed on Tuesday. Spanberger, who authored an amendment to address the needs of the RTF along with Subcommittee Ranking Member Doug LaMalfa of California and Committee Member Jimmy Panetta of California, issued the following statement:

“Our forests are a national treasure, providing essential recreation and renewable natural resources for the communities they support. To maintain that treasure, we must address the reforestation needs of this valuable resource,” said Spanberger. “Reforestation means investment in green infrastructure and the benefits to the climate that come with it, including increased carbon sequestration capacity, improved habitat, and more. Additionally, nearly 20 percent of the drinking water in the United States originates from National Forest System lands. Currently, there is a million-plus acre backlog of reforestation needs in our National Forests, and I am very glad to see the bipartisan Panetta-LaMalfa-Spanberger amendment included in the manager’s amendment to H.R. 2. The commonsense change that our amendment proposes would double our investment in reforestation of National Forests each year, at no cost to taxpayers.”