Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (May, 22,2014) - Earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a plan to help 94 national forests in 35 states deal with insect and disease threats that increase the risk of catastrophic wildfire. The designations were made possible by the passage of the 2014 Farm bill, which amended the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 to allow the Forest Service to more efficiently plan and accomplish restoration treatments.

Congressional Western Caucus Co-Chair Steve Pearce (NM-02) and Western Caucus members Kristi Noem(SD-At Large), Steve Daines (MT-At Large), and Scott Tipton (CO-03) released the following statements in response to the announcement:

“Arid climates, like that of New Mexico, do not contain an abundant amount of nutrients or moisture for forests and have therefore never been conducive to land rich with trees,” said Rep. Pearce. “The Forest Service has allowed thousands more trees per acre than nature intended, which has resulted in trees that are starved for nutrients and moisture. As a result, Western forests are susceptible to and have been decimated by pests, insects, and wildfires. Increased thinning in our National Forests will not only help combat pests and insects, but will protect Western communities from devastating wildfires and create healthy forests. I am encouraged that the Forest Service is reaching out to States, Tribes, stakeholders, and the public to develop restoration projects instead of making decisions from Washington. While this announcement is a step in the right direction, continued action on forest health that relies on the input of local communities and stakeholders is paramount. I urge the Senate to act on House passed legislation to put an end to the decades of National Forest mismanagement.”

“Foresters must be able to respond as quickly as the pine beetle epidemic is spreading and previous policies stopped that from occurring,” said Rep. Noem. “I’m proud the Farm Bill opened the door for faster action and thank Governor Daugaard for advocating that the Black Hills National Forest be included. We must give those fighting the beetles every tool available to protect the Black Hills from becoming a tinder box.”

“I appreciate the USDA’s commitment to address severe challenges in Montana’s national forests,” said Rep. Daines. “Now, given the state of our forests, Montanans hope these much needed treatments will move forward quickly. While this is a good first step, it’s not enough – we need the U.S. Senate to act on comprehensive forest management reform as well, such as the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act that already passed in the House of Representatives.”

“While bark beetle and other hazardous forest health conditions have affected state and private lands, hazardous conditions are often most heavily concentrated on federal lands where a lack of active forest management has allowed the epidemic to spread to catastrophic levels. I welcome the announcement that the Forest Service is engaging state, local and tribal stakeholders to identify areas at increased risk of wildfire, and hope that it leads to swift action to mitigate these hazardous conditions,” said Rep. Tipton. “While this is a positive step, greater forest management reforms are still needed to fully restore our forests back to a healthy natural condition. I urge the Senate to take up our Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act to pass those needed reforms, because we cannot afford to wait to fully address this Western crisis.”

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