NWTF Applauds Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation applauds the introduction of the bipartisan Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Act, legislation that would permanently authorize and expand one of the nation's most effective tools for advancing active forest management, reducing wildfire risk and supporting markets for low-value woody material generated through forest restoration on federal lands. The bill was introduced by U.S. Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah; Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.; and Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
“The National Wild Turkey Federation strongly supports the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Act,” said NWTF co‑CEO Kurt Dyroff. "Safely and efficiently moving low‑value material generated from forest restoration and wildfire mitigation projects remains one of the greatest barriers to improving forest health and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. With mills often located far from project areas, transportation costs can be prohibitive. The Hazardous Fuels Transportation Grant Program provides a practical, targeted solution to keep this material moving, support active management and deliver real on‑the‑ground benefits for forests and communities.”
The legislation would reauthorize and codify the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program, which helps offset the cost of transporting low-value woody material generated through hazardous fuels reduction projects. By reducing transportation costs, the program enables more forest restoration work to move forward, helping improve wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk and support rural economies.
"Healthy forests depend on active management, and active management depends on having practical, affordable ways to utilize the material generated during restoration," said Tim Phelps, NWTF wood utilization specialist. "The Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program helps bridge the economic gap by reducing transportation costs for low-value woody material, allowing more restoration projects to move forward while supporting the logging, transportation and wood products infrastructure needed to sustain active forest management and long-term forest health."
The NWTF has worked alongside the USDA Forest Service to provide outreach through the hosting of webinars and answer follow-up questions for the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program since its inception, helping the Forest Service deliver funding directly to projects where transportation costs often determine whether restoration work can be completed.
In 2024, the program invested $20 million in projects across the country, helping transport low-value biomass generated from forest restoration and hazardous fuels reduction treatments. The program supported projects that reduced wildfire risk while creating markets for forest byproducts that otherwise would have remained on the landscape.
Building on that success, the 2025 Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program expanded investments to continue accelerating active forest management and increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration across priority landscapes.
Across much of the West, forest restoration projects generate large amounts of small-diameter trees, slash and woody biomass with little commercial value. Because mills and biomass utilization facilities are often located far from treatment areas, transportation costs frequently exceed the value of the material itself. Without economically viable outlets for this material, land managers often face higher treatment costs, fewer contractor bids and slower implementation of critical restoration projects. As a result, valuable restoration projects can become economically infeasible, slowing the pace of treatments needed to improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk.
By helping bridge that financial gap, the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program allows more acres to be treated, supports local contractors and forest products businesses, and keeps restoration projects moving forward.
The NWTF's conservation delivery model focuses on creating resilient forests through active forest management, including mechanical thinning, prescribed fire and strategic partnerships with federal, state and local agencies. Programs like the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program help ensure that the material generated during forest restoration becomes part of the solution rather than an additional obstacle to completing the work. By improving the economics of utilization, the program helps increase the pace and scale of active forest management that benefits wildlife, communities and healthy forests.
"The NWTF encourages Congress to swiftly advance the Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Act to ensure land managers and local partners have the tools they need to improve forest resilience, reduce wildfire risk and conserve America's forests for future generations," said Matt Lindler, NWTF director of government affairs.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 25 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Since 2022, the NWTF has also invested over $2.3 million in critical wild turkey research that, when leveraged with partner contributions, has resulted in more than $22 million to guide the management of the wild turkey and to ensure sustainable populations. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale to create healthy forests and wildlife habitats, clean and abundant water, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF is committed to creating a nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.