Merkley: More Is Needed To Fight Fires In Oregon This Season

Oregon wildfires have claimed five homes this year, and the number of acres burned is already larger than all of last season.  Senator Jeff Merkley said the Forest Service has more money for forest management.

"We’ve got a billion dollars a year over the last several years; that’s about three times what we’ve had before. It’s still not enough," Merkley said.  Now pushing for reauthorization of the funding the Forest Service needs to fight an increasing number of wildfires.

"And, the good news is Secretary Rollins, the Secretary of Agriculture, has been texting back and forth with me and she says she’s 100% on board to get that forest fire fix," Merkley said.  "So, we’re pressing forward on that."

But, he acknowledges there still aren’t enough resources to fight the large number of fires on the landscape.

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