FW: [NFPA] Woodshop News: Bush OK's "Thinning" in national forests

And here's more bushit a' happening.
 
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Andrew George
Sent: February 23, 2004 1:11 PM
To: NFPA News
Subject: [NFPA] Woodshop News: Bush OK's "Thinning" in national forests


Bush OKs 'thinning' in national forests
Opponents say measure is a giveaway to timber companies

By Brian Caldwell
Staff Writer

February Issue
 
President Bush signed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 into
law on Dec. 3, a measure aimed at reducing the risk of wildfires in
national forests. The legislation is a congressional compromise that
resembles the president's Healthy Forests Initiative, first introduced
in 2002. The new law authorizes spending $760 million each year for
thinning projects on 20 million acres in national forests. At least half
the funding must be used on forest projects near communities that face
the greatest risk from wildfires. 

At the bill-signing ceremony at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bush
said 
the Healthy Forest Restoration Act will help to prevent catastrophic
wildfires, save lives and property, and protect forests from sudden and
needless destruction.

"This Act of Congress sets the right priorities for the management of
our nation's forests, focusing on woodlands that are closest to
communities and on places where the risk to wildlife and the environment
is the greatest," said Bush. "It enforces high standards of stewardship
so that we can ensure that we're returning our forests to more natural
conditions and maintaining a full range of forest types. It enables
collaboration between community groups and private stewardship
organizations and all levels of government before projects are chosen.
This law will not prevent every fire, but it is an important step
forward, a vital step to make sure we do our duty to protect our
nation's forests."

Congressional passage of any forest-thinning legislation appeared in
doubt during the summer, but opposition dwindled after wildfires in
California destroyed nearly 750,000 acres, destroyed approximately 4,800
structures and killed 22 civilians. The law will speed up the process of
removing overgrown brush and diseased and dead trees in national
forests, especially near homes and towns. 

Environmental groups and some congressional democrats opposed the bill,
claiming public input would be limited and timber companies would pursue
old-growth logging in remote forests. 

"We feel that it is a reckless bill that doesn¹t protect communities at
risk from wildfire, and instead is a gift to the timber industry," said
Andrew George, spokesman for the National Forest Protection Alliance,
which is dedicated to ending commercial logging on national forests and
all federal public lands. "The Bush bill will not prevent inevitable
wildfires or insect infestations in our forests. It¹s probably going to
exacerbate the problem and intensify wildfire threats by logging the
biggest, most merchantable, fire-resistant trees deep in the
back-country instead of dedicating resources around communities, which
science has shown consistently is the only way to protect a home." 

"The bill expedites the environmental review process so we can move
forward more quickly on projects that restore forests to good health,"
Bush said. "We don't want our intentions bogged down by regulations. We
want to get moving. When we see a problem, this government needs to be
able to move. Congress wisely enabled a review process to go forward,
but also wisely recognizes sometimes review process bogs us down and
things just don't get done."

"It¹s hard to see anything positive [in the law] when we know that more
communities are going to burn, we know that more old growth is going to
be logged and we know that more citizens' rights are going to be
removed," said George. "Frankly, it¹s probably the worst environmental
legislation ever."


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Andrew George
Campaign Coordinator
National Forest Protection Alliance
PO Box 215
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-0215
ph: 919 933 3073
cell: 828 280 6956
[email protected]
Not a member?  Join NFPA today at www.forestadvocate.org

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