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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2002

"The summer of 2002 will long be remembered for the catastrophic wildfires that have raged across our Western states in one of the worst fire seasons in modern history. Already, more than 6 million acres have burned - an area roughly the size of New Hampshire and twice the annual average. These fires are caused by a crisis in forest and rangeland health that demands immediate action to reverse decades of well-intentioned mismanagement.

These catastrophic fires have threatened hundreds of communities and millions of acres of forests - and 20 firefighters have died protecting them. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes - as more than 2,000 of them were destroyed. Many Americans are wondering why these fires are so much larger and more destructive than they have been in the past. . ."

Get the Story:
Gale Norton, Ann Veneman: Bush initiative would cut red tape to save forests (The Billings Gazette 8/28)

No, keep them alive
"As predictable as summer follows spring, wildfires are burning in some of our nation's fire-dependent ecosystems. Unfortunately, just as predictable, the Bush administration and anti-environmental members of Congress are using the wildfires in their never-ending quest to increase commercial logging and road-building in America's national forests. . ."

Get the Story:
Matthew Koehler: Rehberg's plan for forests: 'Logging without laws' (The Billings Gazette 8/28)

Relevant Documents:
Healthy Forests : An Initiative for Wildfire Prevention and Stronger Communities (August 2002) | Department of Interior Fire Presentation (August 2002)

Relevant Links:
Healthy Forest Initiative - http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/healthyforests/index.html

Related Stories:
Bush promotes healthy forest initiative (8/23)
Bill to speed up tribal timber sales (8/21)