For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 24, 2002
Radio Address by the President to the Nation
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. While visiting the west coast this
week, I saw the destructive effects of one of the worst wildfire
seasons in history. The catastrophic blazes we have seen this summer,
and which I saw firsthand in Oregon, threaten the safety of forest
communities and firefighters; destroy homes, businesses, farms and
critical wildlife habitat; and leave behind long-last environmental
damage. I join all Americans in thanking the brave firefighters for
their service.
As we work to put out the fires and bring relief to their victims,
we also have a responsibility to prevent the devastation that can be
caused by future fires. For too long, America's fire prevention
strategy has been shortsighted. Forest policies have not focused on
thinning, the clearing of the forest floor of built-up brush and
densely packed trees that create the fuel for extremely large fires
like those experienced this year.
This hands-off approach to forest management has been devastating
to our environment, and it can take more than a century for forests to
recover from these fires. One forest ranger said of this year's fire
season, "In the next few years to come, it won't be the exception, it
will be norm because of how we have managed our forests."
We need a different approach. People who fight fires and study
forests agree that we must strengthen the health of our forests through
a combination of thinning and quickly restoring areas damaged by
fires. By actively managing our forests in this way, we'll help our
environment by reducing the number of acres of forest land that
catastrophic fires burn each year.
On Thursday, I announced important new steps to restore the health
of America's forests and help prevent the kind of devastating fires we
have seen this year. We will guard against excessive red tape and
endless litigation that stand in the way of sensible forest management
decisions.
I have directed Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and Secretary
of the Interior Gale Norton to reduce bureaucracy and speed up the
process of thinning on public lands. And I urge Congress to pass
legislation that will ensure that vital forest restoration projects are
not tied up in courts forever. Some members of Congress have already
gotten important forest reform passed for their states because they
know it is the fastest and most effective way to get forests thinned.
We should pass this important reform to help protect all of America's
forests.
My administration will work with Congress to deliver on the
unfulfilled promises of the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan. The plan was
crafted to protect wildlife habitat and recreational areas, while
employing more than 100,000 people through sustainable timber
harvesting in a small portion of the forests. My proposals will reduce
the threat of wildfires that have destroyed people's homes and
livelihoods. They will restore the health of America's forests,
provide greater safety to our citizens and protect our environment for
generations to come.
Thank you for listening.
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