Good morning, I would like to welcome you to today’s hearing, “To Review the National Forest System: Supporting Forest Health and Confronting the Wildfire Crisis."

This hearing is our opportunity to hear from Chief Moore about the state of our National Forest System, and to discuss what is and isn’t working in the forestry provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Forest health is a critical concern for communities around my home state of Oregon — and the nation.

Public and private forests alike provide critical support to rural economies. Moreover, healthy forests help mitigate climate change and foster resilience against wildfires and other climate-induced natural disasters.

One point I continue to hear from forestry stakeholders back in my district is that Farm Bill programs — from voluntary conservation incentives to tree disease research — play an important role in rural prosperity. I look forward to hearing from our witness about program successes, as well as programs that need to be revamped in this year’s Farm Bill to improve our forest health, our communities, and our climate.

Thank you for being here Chief Moore, and I look forward to your testimony.