U.S. Representatives John Garamendi and Ken Calvert have introduced a new bill titled the “Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act” in an effort to support the conservation of privately owned working forestlands. The legislation proposes to allow states the option to partner with accredited, nonprofit land trusts to manage conservation easements, which are typically purchased with federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program.
Current protocols require these conservation easements to be held by either federal or state governments. Congressman Garamendi asserted the necessity of collaboration with private landowners, noting, “Federal and state governments can, and must, do a better job of working with private landowners who want to conserve their land, as my family did for our cattle ranch in 1998.”
The introduction of the bill is jointly backed by U.S. Representatives Jim Costa, Josh Harder, Kevin Mullin, and Suzanne Bonamici. Congressman Calvert highlighted the importance of the legislation in fostering stronger partnerships, stating, “This bipartisan bill is an important step in strengthening partnerships between private landowners and public stakeholders interested in conserving forestlands.”
Laurie Wayburn, President of the Pacific Forest Trust, supports the bill, describing it as a “commonsense, practical, no-cost enhancement” to existing programs. She emphasized the bill’s potential to enhance outcomes through private-public partnerships, particularly in California, Oregon, and Washington.
The bill’s endorsements include various trusts and conservancies, such as the Partnership of Rangeland Trusts and the Pacific Crest Trail Association. The endorsements underline a wide-ranging acknowledgment of its potential benefits.
John Garamendi boasts a prior tenure on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, which oversee the U.S. Forest Service.
