Freshly scalded by the Cape Horn Fire, locals have witnessed the devastation that awaits one thoughtless moment or one random lightning strike. Maybe that burning sensation throughout the West will finally lead to change.

U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador was among a bipartisan House majority that approved the Resilient Federal Forests Act on Thursday. The Idaho Republican lauds H.R. 2647 for its ability to improve forest health and reduce fire risk. He understands that the two are intricately connected.

According to Labrador, the U.S. Forest Service classifies 58 million acres at high risk for catastrophic fire, while just 3 million acres are treated each year to reduce the likelihood of a fire becoming catastrophic. As forestry experts have learned over the years, the best way to promote healthy forests is not to leave them alone. That's the recipe for disaster. The best way to protect our forests is to thin out and clean up the overcrowded and often diseased sections that feed small fires and turn them into big ones.

In recent years, more than half the Forest Service's budget has gone to fighting fires; the largest 1 percent of fires have consumed roughly 30 percent of that budget. Instead of being forced into reactive measures year after year, H.R. 2647 will help the Forest Service become much more proactive, in part by implementing a better funding mechanism.

Today, the Forest Service is forced to transfer funds from healthy forest programs to emergency fire suppression. It's a practice known as "fire borrowing," and it keeps the USFS in that reactive pattern. While we aren't convinced H.R. 2647 will eliminate fire borrowing, it will allow the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to tap into an account at FEMA after dedicated firefighting funds have been exhausted.

H.R. 2647 also would ease the burden of tying up valuable Forest Service resources in senseless court cases, often brought by radical environmental groups. The Resilient Federal Forests Act would require those who seek to block timber sales and other collaborative efforts to post a bond covering the government's legal costs should the plaintiffs lose. According to Labrador, environmental reviews would be shortened for logging projects designed to cut wildfire risk, fight insects and disease, protect water supplies and enhance habitat for at-risk species. Dead trees would be removed more quickly, with money set aside to pay for reforestation.

Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo expressed support Friday for H.R. 2647, noting that it would lead to better federal land management. We agree. For too long, ideologically motivated lawsuits have hindered the professionals devoted to protecting one of our nation's most important resources. We think H.R. 2647 will help give them a fighting chance.