Congress Reaches National Forests Deal
Compromise plan is victory for timber company-Bush administration bloc; effects on Minnesota forests to be watched closely
Washington, D.C. — The US Senate and House have reached agreement on a wildfire bill that ignores real solutions to protect homes and communities from wildfires. The bill closely mirrors the Bush Administration's so-called "Healthy Forests Initiative".
"We are disappointed that the Congress bowed to pressure from the Bush Administration today and failed to provide real solutions for communities," said Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director. "There is a better way, but it requires putting the safety of communities ahead of the interests of timber companies." The President’s plan also restricts citizen participation, interferes with the judicial system, and increases commercial logging, even potentially in Minnesota’s scarce old-growth and roadless forests.
"We're never going to fireproof the whole landscape, but we can try to protect the people who live there. This bill does not move us far enough in that direction," said Pope. "If we are serious about protecting homes and lives, we should earmark funds for work around communities."
The bill would do little to help communities from the kind of fires recently seen in southern California. The legislation does not address fire prevention on non-federal lands, which is where most of these fires are burning. In Minnesota, relatively few forest fires start in Chippewa and Superior National Forests. Many more occur closer to communities, on non-federal land, and start from human causes.
The Bush plan stands in sharp contrast to a proposal by conservation groups that would focus aid on communities at risk from wildfire. The Sierra Club and other conservation groups embrace the Community Protection Plan, emphasizing fuel reduction projects and "firewise" protections along the boundaries of communities adjacent to forest lands.
"The desire by the Bush Administration and others in Congress to protect special timber interests is compromising America's ability to deliver real relief to communities in need," concluded Pope.
The recent fires in California are a clear example of the importance of prioritizing the prevention efforts near where people live. Along with the Malibu fires of a decade ago and other more recent fires, there is no shortage of evidence indicating the essential role that clearing brush near communities plays in protecting homes and lives. In these areas, the risk of wildfires always exists.
For more information, please visit: http://www.sierraclub.org/forests
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