Summary
July 23, 2025
The Honorable Alex Padilla
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
RE: Support for the Fix Our Forests Act
Dear Senator Padilla:
On behalf of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, I am writing in support of the Senate’s Fix Our Forests Act. This bill builds upon our county’s initiatives to combat the increasing threat that wildfire poses to our local communities, as it prioritizes prevention through risk reduction programs and proven tools for forest health projects.
As you know, wildfires are becoming more catastrophic in California than ever before—growing larger, spreading faster, and burning more land and buildings than ever before due to extended fire seasons. The current trajectory is unsustainable, and addressing the scale of the crisis is essential to ensure the safety of our communities from both the physical destruction and emotional distress that fires cause. The State Board of Forestry and Cal Fire has officially designated more than half of the rural and unincorporated areas in Marin County as “high” fire hazard severity zones, and we have made real investments in our County on wildfire prevention, preparedness and response.
But we cannot do it alone, and so we appreciate the Senate bill’s comprehensive approach that not only seeking to reduce wildfires across the country but also improving climate resiliency and biodiversity. The establishment of the Wildfire Intelligence Center would streamline the federal response, easing the burden on local governments, as it creates a whole-of-government approach to combating wildfires. The creation of a single interagency program would help communities in the wildland-urban interface build and retrofit with wildfire-resistant measures, while also simplifying and consolidating grant applications. Additionally, this bill exemplifies Marin County’s values and goals to improve reforestation, seedling supply, and nursery capacity by establishing new programs for white oak restoration and clarifying policies to reduce litigation and expedite science-based forest health treatments.
Marin County supports the Fix Our Forests Act, and we appreciate your leadership on this critical legislation to improve the health of our forests.
Sincerely,
Mary Sackett, President
Marin County Board of Supervisors
CC: Marin County Board of Supervisors
Senator Adam Schiff
Congressman Jared Huffman
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