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Congressman
Wally Herger today testified before the House Natural Resources Committee
during a hearing on the "Evolving West."
February 28, 2007
"Herger Testifies on Critical Importance of Healthy Forest Management"
(Washington, DC) - Congressman Wally Herger today testified before the
House Natural Resources Committee during a hearing on the "Evolving
West." He was invited to testify by the Ranking Member of the committee,
Representative Don Young. Herger stressed that responsible forest thinning
is essential to protecting local communities from devastating wildfires,
establishing healthier forests, and bolstering local economies by providing
jobs. Herger's testimony follows:
Testimony of Honorable Wally Herger (CA-2) Before the House Natural Resources
Committee February 28, 2007 Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young,
thank you for holding today's hearing on the relationship between western
communities and natural resources on public lands.
In my home state of California, a human and environmental tragedy of incredible
proportions is brewing in our National Forests unless action is taken
to restore forest health. A century of fire suppression, and now decades
of legal restrictions on forest thinning, have left forests overcrowded
and susceptible to catastrophic wildfire. In parts of my district, where
50 - 70 trees per acre were the historic norm, there are now 500 - 700
trees per acre - approximately ten times as many.
Modern fires are not like natural low-intensity fires, which burned close
to the ground. Today's fires engulf the entire forest, from floor to canopy,
destroying virtually everything in their path. For example, the 2003 Southern
California fire destroyed 750,000 acres and led to 30 fatalities. We desperately
need to mechanically thin these unhealthy stands if we are to protect
at-risk communities and watersheds.
A "hands-off" approach to forestry has brought year after year
of historic devastation. Taxpayers now pay billions of dollars to fight
fires that could have been prevented through active forest thinning.
Forest management traditionally brought revenue into the Treasury and
shared 25 percent of proceeds with county schools and roads. But appeals
and lawsuits have virtually halted any thinning from occurring and rural
schools have been devastated as a result. Unless "Secure Rural Schools"
- a temporary program designed to rescue counties from declining thinning
receipts - is reauthorized, counties like Siskiyou County in my district
will experience a 91 percent cut from what they receive under current
law!
The good news in the face of this environmental catastrophe is that Westerners
are taking matters into their own hands. In the early 1990s, a citizens
group consisting of local environmentalists, forest professionals, and
elected officials met at the nearby public library to seek common ground.
This organization - dubbed the "Quincy Library Group" - was
founded upon the realization that the environment, local communities,
and forest jobs have a mutually beneficial relationship. They concluded
that protecting forests and communities would be impossible without mechanically
thinning unhealthy forest stands. The program they developed was designed
to pay for itself by supplying wood products to local mills.
This grassroots vision was turned into bipartisan legislation, which I
sponsored along with Senator Dianne Feinstein. QLG members walked the
halls of Congress championing their legislation as a solution to the "Timber
Wars" that had torn western communities apart. Congress responded
by passing this legislation on a near unanimous vote; and the bill was
signed into law by President Clinton in 1998.
It was thought that the five-year QLG pilot program could be expanded
throughout the West. But regrettably, it has been to a large extent held
up by a small group of forest extremists. However, the work that has been
done demonstrated that the QLG concepts are beneficial for the forest
and local community. Catastrophic fire that ran into QLG-type areas dropped
to the forest floor to mimic a more historically consistent fire.
Mr. Chairman, thank you again for holding today's hearing and for allowing
me to testify.
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