Release No. 0206.02
USDA - Heidi Valetkevitch (202) 720-6767
WGA - Karen Deike (303) 623-9378
HISTORIC COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OUTLINES LONG-TERM
WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Bush Administration Officials and Governors Hear
from Scientists and Community Leaders and Discuss Ecosystem Health and
Management Strategies at Wildland Fire Conference
IDAHO
CITY, Idaho, May 23, 2002 – Two top Bush Administration officials were joined
by Western Governors today at a day-long conference on forest and rangeland
health and reducing the risk of wildfires, and endorsed an historic
implementation plan to aggressively manage wildland fires and reduce hazardous
fuels, protect communities and restore ecosystems over the next decade.
Following discussions with western Governors earlier this
year, President Bush directed Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and Interior
Secretary Gale A. Norton to join with the Governors in convening a conference
with federal, state, and local partners to discuss key scientific issues and
successful community efforts concerning ecosystem health and management.
Governors Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho and John Kitzhaber of Oregon serve as
co-leads for the Western Governors’ Association on wildland fire and forest
health restoration issues.
"President
Bush is strongly committed to restoring forest health in a way that benefits
both communities and the environment,” said Agriculture Secretary Veneman.
“The implementation plan provides the detailed framework for reducing
fire risks and rehabilitating and restoring ecosystem health based on sound
scientific research. Through active forest management, we will reduce wildland
fire risks and improve ecosystem health while producing commercial and
value-added products and helping local economies."
“I’m pleased that Idaho once again is playing a
key role in long-term management of Western forests and fire prevention,” said
Governor Kempthorne. “It was just
one year ago in Coeur d’Alene that the Governors and the Secretaries agreed to
a 10-year strategy for improving the health of our forests.
This historic agreement sets in motion a locally-led process that
preserves forests and protects communities.”
The implementation plan sets the performance requirements for delivery of the 10-Year Comprehensive Strategy, signed by the parties last August, which recognizes the need to increase our firefighting resources and invest in long-term solutions to address the buildup of excessive hazardous fuels. The goals of the implementation plan are to promote community assistance, reduce hazardous fuels, and maintain and restore fire-adapted ecosystems. To achieve these goals, local managers will work with states, tribes, local governments and citizens to plan the location of firefighting resources, fuels reduction treatments and restoration projects in previously burned areas as well as maintenance of healthy acres.
“Intense, fast-moving fires imperil lives, homes and
resources. Those near fire-prone
lands are eager to protect their families, homes and lands. The implementation plan calls for active management of
forests and rangelands to reduce wildfire risks and improve ecosystem health.
It provides an additional set of tools for achieving these goals,” said
Interior Secretary Norton. “With
this historic agreement among all levels of government, Secretary Veneman,
Governor Kempthorne, Governor Kitzhaber, and I pledge collaboration to make
communities safer and ecosystems healthier.”
The task at hand is enormous and requires the commitment of
many interest groups and government organizations to work together. The core
principles of the implementation plan include:
collaboration at the local, state, and national levels; priority setting
with emphasis on protection of communities and watersheds at risk; and
establishing uniform and seamless reporting standards and process, and
budgeting.
“For decades we’ve been suppressing wildfires that used to naturally
thin many of our forests. The
unfortunate result, however, has been to raise the potential for dangerously
large and intense wildfires,” said Governor Kitzhaber.
“This plan guides our restoration and fuel reduction efforts in ways
that make our forests and rangelands more resilient to fire.
The plan will not only make our forests and rangelands healthier, but
also increase the safety of our communities and cause less danger to our
firefighters.”
The implementation plan was developed through collaboration among the Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture and Governors. The Governors also used a collaborative stakeholder group to provide counsel and input.
The plan, A Collaborative Approach for Reducing Wildland
Fire Risks to Communities and the Environment 10-Year Comprehensive Strategy
Implementation Plan, can be found at: http://www.fireplan.gov/
and http://www.westgov.org/
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