HEALTHY%20FOREST%20RESTORATION%20ACT

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HEALTHY FOREST RESTORATION ACT

• Western Hardwood Association
• June 26, 2005

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HFRA Objectives
To reduce the threat of wildfires while upholding
environmental standards and encouraging early
public input
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HFRA

• Strengthens public participation in forest health
  projects
• Reduces complexity of environmental analysis and
  allows for best science uses
• Encourages public participation in project
  planning
• HFRA has support of bi-partisan majority of
  Congress, and Administration, industry, and a
  variety of conservation groups

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Adoption followed a series of catastrophic fires
in the West in 2002 and 2003

• 147,000 fires 11 million acres
• 22 civilians and 51 firefighters lost their lives
• Air quality reduced
• Endangered species habitat destroyed
• Increased threat of invasive species and disease

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Provisions of HFRA can be applied to 20,000,000
acres of Federal land or 31,000 square miles
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• Removes hazardous fuels
• Expedites treatment of lands at risk from fires
• Removes blown down or ice storm damaged trees
• Expedites environmental review of projects
• Addresses maintenance and restoration of old
  growth
• Requires collaboration between Federal agencies
  and local communities on wildfire projects

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• Requires 50 of HFRA funds to protect areas
  adjacent to high-risk communities
• Encourages courts to expedite judicial review of
  legal challenges
• Courts are to balance long and short-term
  environmental effects against taking no action
  when considering requests for injunctions.
• Encourages removal of biomass from public and
  private lands.

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• Allows stewardship contracts (up to 10 years) for
  small business, not-for-profits and communities
  to reduce wildfire risk.
• Allows USFS and Bureau of Land Management to
  trade goods for services, trees and biomass in
  return for work.
• USFS must develop and carry out an applied
  silvicultural assessment program along with
  states, universities and private land owners to
  combat forest damaging insects and diseases.
• Department of Agriculture authorized to develop
  an early warning system for environmental threats
  (insects, disease).

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HFRA 1 ½ Years Later

• Debate continues if a 760 million budget is
  sufficient or too much.
• 4.2 million acres treated in 2004 for hazardous
  fuels.
• Goal is to treat 8 million acres a year.
• 80-90 million acres need fuel reduction
  treatment.
• At current rate, it will take 15 years to reach
  that goal.
• USFS infrastructure is stretched thin and not
  adequate to meet challenges.

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Whats Next?

• Undersecretary Mark Rey
• Bush Administration will continue to focus on
  implementation of HFRA.
• It has had a positive effect of USFS morale.

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First IgnoredNow Addressed

• Early warning satellite monitoring system.
• Applied silvicultural assessment.

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Satellite Monitoring System

• 5 million a year for five years
• One station in Corvallis, OR
• NHLA priority

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DiseaseandInsects
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Sudden Oak Death

• Active spots in California and Oregon (Oregon
  near eradication)
• Nurseries in 37 states quarantined
• West Coast nurseries being monitored by APHIS

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Red Oak Borer
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Red Oak Borer

• Epidemic levels in northwest Arkansas, southern
  Missouri, and east Oklahoma
• Common on land pushed beyond carrying capacity
• USFS funding prevention activities in National
  Forests in Arkansas

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Emerald Ash Borer
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• Considered the most devastating tree killing pest
  in North America (comes from Asia)
• Every ash tree in North America is threatened
  30-36,000 trees already dead
• Eradication strategy is to cut down tree and
  grind it up
• All infested trees are removed along with all
  trees within 1/2 mile
• Quarantined area is 20 counties in SE Michigan
  Lucas County, OH and small pockets in NW Indiana

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Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

• Hardwood plantings given special treatment
• Continuous enrollment
• Extended, long-term contracts
• Secretary of Agriculture set a goal of 500,000
  acres planted in hardwood
• Program is behind expectation

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USFS Regional 6National ForestsVolume Sold by
Fiscal Year (MMBF)
1990 - 3,997 2000 - 242 2002 - 306 2003 - 400
2004 - 491
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USFS Region 6Harvest Volume by Fiscal Year (MMBF)
2001 2002 2003 2004 Total 307.0 276.9 320.9 499.9
Oregon 217.8 198.3 243.8 382.6 Washington 89.2 78
.6 77.1 117.3