As a result of a Congressional hearing on forest management that took place in Montrose in May Rep. Scott Tipton and some of his colleagues introduced a bill to increase local control over forest management in wildfire prevention.  The bill specifically calls for more state control on forest management decisions in high-risk areas on National Forest Service lands as well as lands under the BLM jurisdiction.  This provision ultimately allows affected areas to better protect their communities, habitats, water supplies and natural areas.