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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 11, 2003
President Bush Promotes Healthy Forests
Today's Presidential Action
Today, President Bush toured Inspiration Rock in the Coronado National
Forest near Tucson, Arizona, to promote the need for healthy forests. The
President viewed the effects of the 84,750 acre Aspen Fire that destroyed 333
residences and structures in the Summerhaven community. Using the President's
Healthy Forests Initiative, the Bush Administration has taken steps to
establish a more effective and timely process to protect communities, wildlife
habitats, and municipal watersheds from catastrophic fires. Compared with 2001
levels, the President's FY 2003 budget more than doubled the funding for
Arizona forest health projects, and about twice as many forested acres will be
treated in Arizona this year.
Background on Today's Presidential Action
Almost one year ago, in the midst of one of the Nation's worst wildfire
seasons, President Bush proposed the Healthy Forests Initiative to care for
forests and rangelands, to reduce the risk to communities, and to protect
threatened and endangered species. The fires in 2002 consumed roughly 7 million
acres, caused the deaths of 23 firefighters, and destroyed 842 structures.
President Bush directed Federal agencies to develop administrative and
legislative tools to restore forests and woodlands to more healthy, natural
conditions and to assist in executing core components of the National Fire
Plan. The Healthy Forests Initiative is providing public land managers the
tools to undertake commonsense management of our forests and woodlands. The
initiative focuses on reducing the risk of catastrophic fire by thinning dense
undergrowth and brush in priority locations that are collaboratively selected
by Federal, state, tribal, and local officials and communities. President Bush
increased funding for thinning work nearly threefold--from $117 million in 2000
to $417 million in his FY 2004 budget request. The initiative also provides for
more timely responses to disease and insect infestations that threaten to
devastate forests.
Taking care of our public lands also protects neighboring private
landowners from suffering the consequences of inaction. Although progress is
being made, an estimated 190 million acres of Federal forests and rangelands in
the United States, an area almost twice the size of California, continue to
face an elevated risk of catastrophic fire due to unnatural, densely packed
forest conditions and insect and disease damage. Today, wildfires are burning
in many states, and 1.8 million acres have burned so far this year.
Last year, the Administration set a record in the amount of treatment work
done. More than 2.25 million acres of overstocked forests were returned to a
more healthy condition. This is a million acres more than were treated in FY
2000. By the end of FY 2003, even more acres of overstocked forests ? 2.57
million acres ? are projected to be treated.
Key Components of the President's Healthy Forests Initiative:
Prioritizes projects that will restore and care for our forests and
rangelands, reduces the risk to communities, and protects threatened and
endangered species habitat.
Facilitates timely reviews of forest health restoration and rehabilitation
projects with a collaboration of state, local, and tribal governments and
interested persons.
Promotes early community involvement.
Accelerates the treatment of hazardous undergrowth and brush.
Complies with all environmental statutes.
Legislative Action:
The Administration strongly supports H.R. 1904, the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act, which the House passed on May 20, 2003 with strong bipartisan
support.
The Senate Agriculture Committee recently voted in favor of similar forest
health legislation. The full Senate is expected to consider the legislation in
the fall.
For more information on the President's initiatives, visit