Oregon — Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley have joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to introduce legislation aimed at expanding markets for woody biomass removed through forest management and wildfire prevention projects.
The Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act of 2026 would broaden the federal definition of renewable biomass under the Renewable Fuel Standard and the Clean Air Act to include additional low-value woody materials generated through hazardous fuels reduction, ecological restoration, active forest management, and forest products manufacturing.
Supporters say the change would create new economic uses for material often left behind during forest thinning projects, helping offset the costs of reducing wildfire fuel loads while increasing production of renewable fuels.
Bentz said Oregon’s forests accumulate hundreds of thousands of tons of new wood each day, increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. He said expanding eligibility for woody biomass under existing renewable fuel programs would help finance the removal, transportation, and processing of excess vegetation while improving forest health and protecting watersheds.
Merkley said reducing wildfire risk requires using every available tool for prevention. He said biomass generated through responsible forest management presents an opportunity to reduce wildfire hazards while creating new markets that benefit communities in Oregon and across the country.
The bipartisan legislation is also sponsored by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.). Hyde-Smith said the bill would also benefit heavily forested states outside the West by creating additional markets for logging residuals, mill byproducts, and other woody biomass generated on non-federal lands.
Among its provisions, the bill would:
- Expand the Renewable Fuel Standard’s definition of renewable biomass to include additional wood products manufacturing residuals such as sawdust, wood chips, bark, shavings, and paper residuals.
- Allow slash, storm debris, pre-commercial thinning material, fuel reduction byproducts, and ecological restoration material from qualifying federal, tribal, and private lands to qualify as renewable biomass.
- Include vegetation removed through defensible space projects and wildfire risk reduction efforts in the wildland-urban interface.
- Create a certification process for qualifying biomass materials from federal and private lands.
- Clarify that existing forest management plans do not need to specifically identify renewable fuel production as an intended use if the underlying forest management activity is otherwise authorized.
The legislation has drawn endorsements from more than 86 organizations nationwide, including the American Forest Resource Council, Forest Landowners Association, Associated Oregon Loggers, and the National Alliance of Forest Owners. Supporters argue the measure would strengthen rural economies, create additional markets for low-value forest materials, and make hazardous fuels reduction projects more financially sustainable while helping reduce wildfire risk.
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