Talking Points on Healthy Forest Initiative &

Catastrophic Forest Fire Prevention

KT-SAF

• So far this year approximately 67,000 wildfires have consumed over 6.5 million acres in the US
• The cost for fighting fires now totals over $1.2 billion.
• Wildfires have claimed at least 21 lives and destroyed over 2500 homes.
• 72 million acres of National Forest land at high risk to catastrophic wildfire.
• 26 million acres are at high risk to insect infestation and disease.
• The total federal land area at risk to catastrophic wildfire is 190 million acres.
• A recent nation wide poll (9/25/02) confirmed that an overwhelming majority of Americans are concerned about the threat of wildfires and support action to protect our national forests.
• 83% expressed concern about the threat of wildfires to our nation’s forests and rangelands.
• 70% agree that thinning and harvesting trees helps to reduce the risk of wildfire and forests need to be managed to minimize the impacts.
• “All management actions—as well as decisions to take no action—have costs, they all have potential benefits and they all create and address risks of various kinds. Some of these costs can be covered by the economic value produced by commercial activities.” Joint Letter to Pres. Bush Regarding the Management of National Forests (www.safnet.org/policy/psst/gwbushltr.htm)
• “But many of this nation’s federal forestlands need active management to restore and perpetuate these unique values [wildlife habitat]. They are at great risk to catastrophic fires, invasion by exotic pest species, weather extremes, and global climate change. Many of these federal forestlands are also capable of supporting natural resource developments that create wealth for this nation at the same time they restore and protect our natural heritage.” Ibid.
• Timber harvests on national forests have fallen by 85% since the 1980’s from over 12 billion board feet to less than 2 billion.
• “Although environmentalists point out the benefits of small fires in reducing fuel loads, 70 years of fire suppression have created conditions ripe for large catastrophic fires. In these cases, creating healthy resilient forest is more safely done by careful timber management than by uncontrolled fire.” Roger Sedjo, Resources for the Future
• “The fires currently burning in our forests are well outside historic fire regimes; they destroy wildlife habitat, damage soil and water resources, destroy homes and property, and threaten human safety.” Letter Regarding Hazardous Fuels Treatment in the National Forests (www.safnet.org/policy/psst/merge_fuels.htm)
• “Restoration activities to reduce fuel loads in many of these overly dense areas have been curtailed due to a number of factors including “analysis paralysis” or “process gridlock.” Ibid
• “According to the USDA Forest Service’s own budget documentation, it can take up to eight years to plan and execute a relatively routine management project. This is totally unacceptable and simply too long when considering the severity and urgency of the problem.”
• There is general agreement that hazardous fuel conditions in our Nation’s forests are abnormally high, that many fire dependent ecosystems are not functioning properly, and there is a genuine sense of urgency to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.” Ibid

Examples of Environmental Damage Due to Catastrophic Fires:

• Damaged fisheries thru increased water temperatures, sedimentation, and changes in water quality and chemistry.
• Damaged Endangered Species Habitat: for example, the Biscuit fire in Oregon has destroyed 125,000 to 150,000 acres of spotted own habitat.
• Soil Sterilization: topsoils exposed to extreme heat can become water-repellant, and soil nutrients may be lost.
• Soil Erosion: the protective covering provided by foliage and dead organic matter is removed leaving the soil fully exposed to wind and water erosion
• Spread of Invasive Plant Species: non-native woody plant species frequently invade burned areas.
• Disease and Insect Infestations: unless diseased or insect-infested trees are swiftly removed, infestations and disease can spread to healthy forests and private lands.

A Copy of the President’s Healthy Forest Initiative can be found at: www.fs.fed.us/projects/HFI.shtml.