This commentary is by Jennifer Mamola, of Washington, D.C. She works with the John Muir Project, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting national forests from fire-phobic policies, advocating community-out approaches to wildfire resilience, untangling woody biomass from the clean energy narrative and defending nature’s ability to manage biodiversity.
James Campbell’s recent commentary, “How the ‘Fix Our Forests Act’ protects Vermont’s future,” suggests logging is the solution to wildfire, framing forests as overstocked and dangerous. Vermont’s forests historically had dense canopy cover, and fire naturally recycles nutrients, creates habitats and promotes regeneration. These forests are resilient and do not need logging to be “safer.”
The “Fix Our Forests Act” would not protect communities or forests. Thinning and logging leave flammable debris, open the canopy and fragment landscapes, increasing fire spread. Focusing on forests where fire occurs naturally diverts attention from human-built areas, where wildfire truly threatens lives and property.
Even U.S. Forest Service scientists note that thinning and post-fire logging can increase tree mortality, push flames faster toward homes and release more carbon than the fires themselves would.
Wildfire danger is primarily tied to the human-built environment. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and wildfire experts point to home hardening, defensible space and community preparedness as the most effective ways to protect lives and property.
Vermont’s recent fires — 82 in 2024 and 45 in 2025, nearly all human-caused — show the real threat comes from human activity and proximity to homes, not forest density. Policies should focus on strengthening communities rather than industrial logging of resilient forests.
H.R. 582, the “Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act” introduced by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., offers a more effective approach. It helps communities develop resilience plans emphasizing home hardening, defensible space and preparedness.
Vermonters deserve solutions grounded in science, not legislation that industrializes forests. The “Fix Our Forests Act” diverts resources, weakens protections and undermines ecosystem resilience. Protecting Vermonters means strengthening communities and homes while letting forests function naturally, supporting both ecosystem and climate resilience.
