MISSOULA, Mont. – This afternoon, the Boone and Crockett Club applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for overwhelmingly passing H.R. 1450, the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act. Good Neighbor Authority allows the USDA Forest Service to enter into agreements with state forestry agencies to conduct management projects on national forests to improve their ecological resilience and reduce the threat from catastrophic wildfires. The legislation passed by the House today would allow the Forest Service to enter into similar agreements with tribes and counties to ensure projects can be implemented across land ownership types. Following is a statement by the Boone and Crockett Club’s chief executive officer, Tony Schoonen.

“Good Neighbor projects are improving forest health, creating wildlife habitat, and reducing fire risk across many western states through partnerships between state and federal agencies. This bill makes a good program even better by adding tribes and counties as potential partners to expand projects across boundaries and improve even more forest lands in the West. The Boone and Crockett Club thanks Congressman Russ Fulcher (R-ID) for introducing the legislation, and calls for swift passage of the bill in the Senate so it can become law soon.”