©National Interagency Fire Center

Some in Congress worry the Fix Our Forest Act ignores community input and would result in new timber cutting. Democrats are split over whether to support a bill that would allow the U.S. Forest Service to clear more land, faster, in an effort to prevent wildfires. The legislation, which has bipartisan support and is headed for a full Senate vote after passing out of committee, has already run up against concerns from environmental groups and some Democrats who don’t want to open the door for President Donald Trump’s administration to amp up logging. For some Western Democrats, the urgency is worth the risk. “[Firefighters are] handcuffed in terms of the vegetation management that they can do, which doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Josh Harder, one of the Democratic cosponsors of the original House version, who represents a northern California district.