Press Release

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – Western governors, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman committed formally today to a new way of addressing the threat and consequences of wildland fire. 

A collaborative 10-year strategy, endorsed at the Western Governors' Association’s Annual Meeting, seeks to reduce wildfire risks to communities and the environment by emphasizing proactive fire management in addition to traditional reactive suppression actions.  The document and a letter of endorsement will be forwarded to Congress, which requested the cooperative strategy.

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho, Gov. John Kitzhaber of Oregon and Gov. Jane Dee Hull of Arizona signed off on the strategy along with the Secretaries.  Among those endorsing the strategy today were the National Association of Counties and the National Association of State Foresters.

Especially notable about the strategy is the collaborative effort instrumental to its development, which will be necessary to successfully implement it.  Representatives from states, counties, local communities, tribes, federal agencies, industry and environmental groups were involved in development of the strategy.  All of these groups will also be key to jointly planning and acting on local-level projects to reduce hazardous fuels and restore fire-prone ecosystems. The goals of the strategy are to improve prevention and suppression of wildfires, reduce hazardous fuels, restore fire-prone ecosystems, and promote community assistance.

“This plan is an important part of a great partnership among the federal, state and local authorities to protect our communities and our natural resources,” said Veneman.  “The 10-year fire plan will be an integral part of our mission and we will work in a coordinated fashion to ensure that its implementation is effective and timely.”

Gov. Kempthorne, WGA Chairman, said, “We are already seeing the new approach at work with on-the-ground efforts to rehabilitate areas scorched in last year’s fires and to reduce hazardous fuels.  But this is only the beginning.  It will take sustained funding and a committed, long-term partnership by all those involved to effectively manage fire-prone ecosystems.”

Part of the need for the strategy is demonstrated by the fact that despite increasing expenditures on wildland fire suppression over the last 20 years, the average acreage burned nationally has not decreased.  As suppression expenditures have increased, the nation has continued to experience an increase in property losses and greater impacts to communities and the environment.

“For years we have been suppressing wildfires, increasing the fuel load and incrementally moving our forest ecosystems and wildlands away from their historic health conditions,” Kitzhaber said.  “With these high fuel levels, fires burn hotter, are harder to contain and do more damage to ecosystems and communities.  This 10-year plan creates the foundation for long-term collaborative planning and on-the-ground projects that begin dealing with the fuels problem and improve overall ecosystem health.”

Kitzhaber also noted that the needed treatments will support local contracting work and jobs in communities.

“I support this agreement, which establishes a strategy for reducing wildland fire risk to communities and the environment,”  Norton said.  “This strategy was developed through partnerships with federal agencies, states and conservation groups. It calls for improving wildland fire prevention and suppression, reducing hazardous fuels, restoring ecosystems and improving community assistance.

“Last year's catastrophic fire season demonstrated the need for state and federal governments to work closely together on fire related matters. This framework puts this process in place.”

The 10-year strategy was the focus of a plenary session at the WGA Annual Meeting today.  Participating on a panel in support of the plan were John Howard, a county commissioner from Grand County, Oregon, representing the National Association of Counties; Greg Applet with the Wilderness Society; and Jason Campbell with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Each of these representatives participated in the development of the strategy and they demonstrate the wide breadth of support for the strategy from groups that will be key to its implementation.  Also participating in the session were the Chief of the Forest Service, Dale Bosworth, and the Forest Service’s National Fire Plan Coordinator Lyle Laverty, who updated the attendees on the status of the fire season. 

By May 1, 2002 a detailed implementation plan will be developed in collaboration with governors to establish detailed and consistent operational ways of doing business between federal agencies, states, and tribal entities to insure that the goals of the strategy are met.

"The strategy is especially notable for the partnership it establishes on fire and restoration between the states and the federal agencies,” said Jane Dee Hull, WGA Vice Chairman.  “If we are going to tackle this immense problem, we will need to work together as one team.  Arizona and New Mexico are working collaboratively in our states with our federal partners and other interests, and we are making progress in restoring health to our forests and rangelands across the landscape.

The WGA plenary session on the 10-year strategy was Webcast live and will be archived for future viewing on the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.  The 10-year comprehensive strategy is also available on the Web sites of WGA and the Departments of Interior and Agriculture. 

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