Forest Subcommittee to Hear Testimony on Sierra Nevada Framework in California 2/25/2004
From: Brian Kennedy or Matt Streit, 202-226-9019, both of the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health News Advisory: The Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health will hold a Field Hearing on the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan: Protecting Communities, Water, Wildlife and Forests in the Sierra Nevada on Saturday, February 28 at 10 a.m. in the Jackson Civic Center, 33 Broadway, Jackson, CA 95642. "As Chairman of the Committee on Resources I believe it is critical for the committee to get input on Federal policy from those who matter most," said Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-CA). "That's why we are taking the committee out of Washington and bringing the policy to the communities who are affected by it. As such, I am eager to hear testimony on the Forest Services' Sierra Nevada Plan from northern Californian's elected officials, forest management experts, and local citizens." Following concerns regarding the plan's flexibility and compatibility with important Forest Service programs, the U.S. Forest Service announced its final version of the supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) of the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (SNFPA) for managing 11 national forests in California. The original Clinton administration plan failed to acknowledge the serious conditions present in California's Sierra Nevada. The revisions call for the removal of 115,000 acres per year, or 3.5 million board feet. The annual net growth on these 11 forests is 1.7 billion board feet a year. The reality is that the projects will only treat approximately one-fifth of the net growth each year, leaving the existing conditions and a large portion of new growth virtually untouched. Several other California members who will be in attendance at the hearing issued the following statements: Rep. Wally Herger (R-Chico): "The public deserves to know that -- largely due to the heavy- handed influence of the radical environmental community -- we are going to implement a forest management plan that woefully low- balls the fire risk in the Sierra Nevadas," said Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA). "Reducing fuels at an alarmingly slow rate, the existing Framework would take over 70 years to treat the current 8 million at risk acres of forest. The Forest Service has done the best job possible, working in earnest to revise the original and flawed, Clinton-era Framework. However, the fact remains that this plan will not adequately address community needs for healthy and fire resistant forests. The longer we delay proper forest management, the more we needlessly subject our communities and our families to the compounding risk of wildfires." Rep. John Doolittle (R-Roseville) "This hearing is a tremendous opportunity to bring back some balance to how we manage the forests of the Sierra Nevada," Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) said. "My constituents have been unnecessarily burdened by both catastrophic wildfire and catastrophic job loss caused by the gross mismanagement of our forests. The bottom line is that if we are truly committed to protecting our citizens from fire and to restoring the economies of timber communities throughout Northern California, we must implement a long-term strategy that fulfills the Forest Service's legal obligation to provide for a continuous supply of timber. I am confident that this oversight hearing is a critical first step to healthier forests and healthier communities throughout the Sierras." Witness List: Panel I The Honorable Thomas "Rico" Oller State Senator 1st District from the State of California The Honorable Doug LaMalfa State Assemblyman 2nd District from the State of California Panel II Jack Blackwell Regional Forester, Pacific SW Region U.S. Forest Service Steve Thompson Operations Manager California/Nevada Operations U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Department of the Interior Panel III Patrick Shea, Ph.D. Western Insects Research Retired U.S.F.S. Research Entomologist John Brissenden Board Member California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Region Bill Coates Chairman Quincy Library Group Scott Stephens, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Fire Science Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management University of California, Berkeley John Hofmann Director of Natural Resources Regional Council of Rural Counties |