Category: Policy

Forest Management & the Timber Industry

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“The National Forest management program in this Region falls far short of meeting the need for hazardous fuels reduction and forest restoration.  In our region alone, the U.S. Forest Service recognizes that millions of acres are in need of restoration, yet the timber target for Fiscal Year 2013, which includes both timber sales and stewardship contracts, was only about 450,000 CCF.  Our states are home to re-emerging forest products businesses that can partner with the U.S. Forest Service, yet the dramatic gap between what these businesses can manage and the timber targets of the RMR endanger their viability and success just as they are about to reach a scale that could meaningfully contribute to more proactive management of forest health.” Read the full letter from Rocky Mountain Region U.S. Senators and Representatives to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack by clicking here.   

Bennet to Chair Senate Hearing on Reducing Risk & Severity of Wildfires

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U.S. SENATOR MICHAEL BENNET

Member: Agriculture, HELP, and Finance Committees

 

Bennet to Chair Senate Hearing on Reducing Risk and Severity of Wildfires

Washington, DC – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources, will convene a Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, November 5 at 2:30 p.m. EST in room 328 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The hearing, “Shortchanging Our Forests:  How Tight Budgets and Management Decisions Can Increase the Risk of Wildfire,” will feature testimony from local Colorado business representatives from wildfire-affected areas. Jim Hubbard, the Deputy Chief of the U.S. Forest Service and former Colorado State Forester from 1984-2004, will also testify. Additional witnesses detailed below.

 

A live webcast of the hearing can be viewed on the Committee’s website at http://ag.senate.gov.

 

WITNESS LIST

 

Mr. Jim Hubbard, Deputy Chief, U.S. Forest Service, Washington, DC

Mr. Davey Pitcher, President and CEO, Wolf Creek Ski Area, Pagosa Springs, CO

Mr. Chris Topik, Director, Restoring America’s Forests Program, The Nature Conservancy, Washington, DC

Mr. Tom Troxel, Executive Director, Intermountain Forest Association, Rapid City, SD

Ms. Sallie Clark, Incoming Vice President, National Association of Counties, Commissioner, El Paso County, CO

Bipartisan House Bill to Proactively Reduce Wildfire Risks

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“Udall’s bill and its House companion would place wildfires on par with other natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and tornadoes, and would make Colorado and other states eligible to receive an additional 15 percent of the total funds FEMA allocates for fire suppression to support wildfire-mitigation efforts.”  Read more in this press release from Senator Mark Udall’s office.

Udall-Inhofe Fire Mitigation Bill

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Jill Ozarski (of Senator Mark Udall’s office), shared information on the Udall-Inhofe Fire Mitigation bill, which Senator Udall introduced last week. “We believe this program could be a game-changer for wildfire mitigation in Colorado, and appreciate all of your support as it moves forward,” Jill said. The bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), would allow FEMA to proactively work with states and localities on wildfire mitigation projects, and would allow states including Colorado to be eligible to receive an additional 15 percent of the total FEMA allocates for fire suppression and mitigation. See below for the press release and the bill.