Governor Chris Sununu and Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed a joint letter to House and Senate leadership Monday, calling on Congress to increase funding for fighting and preventing forest fires. “This is far from just a ‘Western’ issue,” they wrote, arguing the Forest Service is increasingly allocating its funds to fight fires at the expense of other priorities. The budget for trails in the White Mountain National Forest, for example, has declined more than 30 percent in the last two years, according to the letter. Less funding has also been available for programs that work with private landowners on forest stewardship. These programs support rural communities in both New Hampshire and Vermont, Sununu and Scott wrote.