Counties in heavily forested areas of the western United States are pleading with Congress to provide permanent funding for a program designed to partially compensate them for the sharp decline in timber sales from non-taxpaying national forests.

The Forest Service plans to use new authority it received in the omnibus spending bill to get more timber out of the nation's forests and make them less vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire, the service's acting chief has told congressional lawmakers.

Republicans expect to advance a farm bill in the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday despite Democratic anger over its reforms to food stamps, but the legislation also would make significant changes in policy and funding across many other sections, including conservation, rural development and horticulture.

Usually, saying “the fix is in” conjures images of backroom deals that benefit a chosen few. In the case of wildland fire funding, however, the phrase took on a different meaning this year.