Historic Comprehensive Plan Outlines Long-Term Wildland Fire Management Strategy

5/23/2002

From: John Wright of DOI, 202-208-4396 Heidi Valetkevitch of USDA, 202-720-6767 Karen Deike of WGA, 303-623-9378

IDAHO CITY, Idaho, May 23 -- 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.