00:00The gentleman yields back, now recognized gentleman from California, Mr. LaMalfa, for five minutes.
00:06Thanks for joining us, Madam Secretary.
00:08Appreciate you being here, and we've got a lot to do.
00:12As you know, we have very large and destructive wildfires all over the West, especially in my districts in California.
00:20The Paradise Fire, the Dixie Fire, 1 million acres, it's on and on.
00:23So, we know the overgrowth of fuel and the client forest health due to the overcrowding of the tree population is a big part of that.
00:32So, where does the overgrowth of fuel come from?
00:34Lack of management.
00:36What we also have is issues unkept roads on federal lands, make it basically where you can't even enter private lands or forest service roads.
00:46We have the problem with these blocked roads.
00:48One of the areas I'd highlight or low light is the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California.
00:54In the last couple of decades, 97% of that unit has burned.
00:59Think about that a moment.
01:0097% of a given forest has burned in a not that long period of time.
01:07So, what the issue is, is they're not maintaining their roads.
01:09Therefore, private parties can't get on their land.
01:12Forest service, if they decide they're going to do any work, can't get on the land.
01:15And they'll tell us that, well, we don't have enough money in the pot to maintain the roads.
01:20But they have the money in the rest of the pots to do other things that they can't do.
01:23So, maybe they need to move the money from the other pot to getting the roads fixed first so we can even enter the lands.
01:30So, that's some of the frustration there.
01:32Yes, sir.
01:32Last Congress, we were told in a field hearing that, by the Forest Service, we have more money than we've ever had, I think, after some of the spending programs under the Biden administration.
01:42Yet, in the same sense, that we need more money in order to process a particular sale that is being talked about.
01:48So, do we have any idea where the money is going to be spent overall to do catastrophic fire prevention in Forest Service?
01:58Do you see much happening there?
02:00Well, 100 percent.
02:01And I was in the Oval Office yesterday with the President talking about this very issue.
02:07You'll see something else coming out tomorrow from the White House on this very issue.
02:11We are 96 percent full on our hiring for the fire season, which, again, is ahead of where Biden was a year ago.
02:18So, if there's a narrative that, you know, we're not fully funding it, couldn't be more wrong.
02:23We already have an 8 percent plus timber increase in production with a goal of getting to 4 billion acre feet over the next few years, which will solve for so much of this.
02:33So, this President is ā I'm very encouraged by his interest in this.
02:38And I think we're going to be able to really make some real progress for the first time in 30 years.
02:43Thanks so much.
02:43We really, really need it because we're way behind on 193 million acres that Forest Service has into their purview.
02:49And that some of these units are proud of a few loads of firewood, not the amount of boards we need to be moving.
02:56Let me talk about specialty crops real quick here, too.
02:58California, we have lots of almonds, walnuts, prunes, peaches.
03:01Many things that are growing in California aren't growing anywhere else in the U.S. or in any significant number.
03:07So, I'm really pleased that the market assistant for specialty crops, that you're boosting that significantly, which means a lot for helping move these products, since if we don't grow them in California, we're probably going to have to import them somewhere.
03:20That's right.
03:21So, how's the timeline going for the continued rollout of the MASK program?
03:25We are moving very, very quickly.
03:27Of course, everything is under review in partnership with the White House.
03:31And so, we're currently in review phase.
03:34But hopefully, very soon, that second tranche will begin to move, understanding how important this is, especially for the smaller farms, which really reflect the specialty crop industry.
03:44Well, I'm excited for that tranche.
03:47Yes, you're welcome.
03:47One final thought here.
03:50On the north coast, just above the Bay Area, there's this Point Reyes Seashore National Park.
03:57I'm pretty sure you're aware of what's going on.
03:58Yes, sir.
03:58We've had long-time, multi-five- or six-generation farmers and ranchers there that were approached in about 1960 because the government wanted their land to form a park.
04:07They finally struck a deal that they, hey, we'll sell after a lot of browbeating and threatened of eminent domain.
04:14They said, okay, we'll sell you the land, but we would like to lease it back and farm it and ranch it for dairies, beef, and like that.
04:20And these are organic growers.
04:21These are very responsible growers that are taking care of that land.
04:25They've been, over the decades, worn down and finally are being kicked off the land unless folks in the administration can help prevent this from happening.
04:34And so I peg you in working with Secretary Burgum on that to help preserve these dairies and beef operations because they actually maintain the land.
04:44I've seen talk where the Park Service, as soon as they've accomplished kicking them off, they're going to have to hire somebody to graze the land like their own manager to graze it anyway.
04:55It makes no sense.
04:56So we have, you know, them drifting out by lawsuit after lawsuit.
05:01Yes, sir.
05:01Because they have to get NEPAs and things.
05:02They used to get 20-year leases from the Park Service.
05:05The Park Service has got giant issues there.
05:07Not completely your bailiwick, but I know you want to support.
05:10Thank you for helping with that and for helping make sure agriculture can thrive as these responsible folks are doing.
05:16Yes, sir.
05:17I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman.
05:18Just let me say I have just become very aware of this issue in the last month and am very focused on it.
05:24I had a briefing on it yesterday.
05:25I would love to talk to you maybe tomorrow and get a full download, as I'd like to get out to California very soon and go meet with them.
05:33Thanks so much.
05:34We'd love to have you out.
05:35Yes, sir.
05:36The gentleman's time has expired.
05:37We'd love to have you out.
05:39Bye-bye.
05:40Bye-bye.
05:40Bye-bye.
05:40Bye-bye.
05:53Bye-bye.
06:01Bye-bye.
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