The importance of forest management for Alaska Native communities cannot be overstated.

This is not acceptable. The forested lands owned by ANCs are in every aspect Indian forest land.

The Tribal Forest Protection Act, or TFPA, is an important tool that allows Native communities to participate in the stewardship of Federal forest lands.

just before we close, I want to acknowledge my Committee intern, Nyche Andrew. She is Inupiaq, she is Yup'ik, she is from Anchorage.

AFN supports Senate Bill 4370 because of this growing risk of wildfires and other invasive pests in our forests.

I want to focus my comments this afternoon on S. 4370, this is the Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments of 2024.

Effective forest management is essential to preserve Native forest lands for future generations.

I am really disappointed. Being here today we have had so many years of discussion...

So I too want to make sure that we are not setting something up here where we have divergent views...

Statement of Senator Murkowski.

I think you can hear, whether it is from Alaska and our lands up north to the lands as far south as New Mexico and Arizona, this is an issue that I think there is clearly common ground.

I want to make sure that we don't have any ambiguity.

I believe this measure is timely, it is well warranted.

Too often these fires ignite on remote Federal lands and spread to tribal lands, endangering Native people, property, infrastructure, and cultural resources.

You go on to say that Forest Service only has a presence in southeast Alaska, and therefore the TFPA issues are confined to the Tongass.

Well, what I did hear you say, Mr. Crockett, is that Forest Service does support removing the bordering or adjacency requirement for the TFPA projects on Federal lands.

I am here today to follow my colleague Senator Warren to discuss the legislation that we have been working on together, S. 1723. This is the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act. As Senator Warren has just…

I want to make sure that we don't have any ambiguity.