The U.S. House Resources Committee on April 30 will likely consider legislation that would implement President Bush’s "Healthy Forests Initiative."

Introduced in August, the Bush package would increase logging in national forests, undermine environmental laws and limit public participation in forest management decisions.
Bush’s initiative emphasizes "mechanical thinning" of forests ostensibly to reduce wildfire hazard. Commercial logging activity is a chief form of "mechanical thinning."

It has been widely documented however that instead of reducing fire hazard, logging actually has been a root cause of the increased severity and frequency of forest fires.

The 1996 Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project report commissioned by Congress said, "Timber harvest, through its effects on forest structure, local microclimate and fuels accumulation, has increased fire severity more than any other recent human activity."*

In addition to the risks posed by ramped-up logging, Bush’s plan also would limit citizens’ rights to challenge fuel-removal projects.

TAKE ACTION:

Please contact your congressional representative and U.S. senators immediately and urge them to oppose any weakening of environmental laws or limitations on public involvement in forest management decisions.

Contact information can be found at:
www.house.gov/MemStateSearch.html.


SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear Representative/Sen. ____________________________,


Please oppose any bill that would encourage increased logging in or weaken environmental protection for our national forests. I do not believe that logging large trees- as President Bush's "Healthy Forests Initiative" advocates- will prevent forest fires. A study by Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project, commissioned by Congress, concluded that "Timber harvest, through its effects on forest structure, local microclimate and fuels accumulation, has increased fire severity more than any other recent human activity."
I urge you to oppose any plan that suspends environmental laws or limits public involvement in forest management decisions. In addition, please work to end any contracts that allow logging companies to be given trees instead of cash as payment for fuels-reduction logging on public lands.
Funds for fuels reduction should be concentrated on areas where fires pose the greatest threat to human safety and property- in the immediate vicinity of homes and communities. The percentage of fuel-reduction budget the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management spend on the "Community Zone" should be increased to 85 percent from its current level of 39 percent.

Sincerely,
Your name
Your address

Send copies of your letters to:

Senator Dianne Feinstein
One Post St., #2450
San Francisco, CA 94104

Senator Barbara Boxer
1700 Montgomery St., #240
San Francisco, CA 94111