Refocus management of our National Forests

[Jeff]

Subject:  Note from Casey Canonge, Forestry Division

MeadWestvaco Communicators:  The note and attachment below are from Casey
Canonge of MeadWestvaco's Forestry Division.


MeadWestvaco is supporting AF&PA's efforts to refocus management of our
National Forests to a more active approach, i.e. prescribed burning,
thinning, and timber harvesting as tools to help control wildfires, insect
outbreaks and other forest health issues.

The far ranging wildfires in the West are a dramatic reinforcement of the
results of the current policy of custodial care.

The attached op-ed recounts how the nation's forests reached their current
state and what needs to be done moving forward.  We would like to find as
many outlets as possible for this.  It may be appropriate for your
Procurement, Regional Forest or Mill Manager to submit this for publication
to your local or regional newspaper, as well as using as an article for
newsletters and other state/association publications.

You can obtain additional background regarding this issue by going to
www.newfederalforestry.org. At the bottom of that site is a link to a file
titled "Managing Federal Forests in the 21st Century."  It is an excellent
reference, and the source for several of the points made in the op-ed
piece.

Our MeadWestvaco contact person on this issue is Bob Fledderman, Manager of
Regulatory and Environmental Assurance in the Forestry Division.  Bob's
number is 843-851-4680.

As practice and as a follow-up, please forward clips and newsletters to
Ivette Reyes in Stamford (F: 203-461-7599).  Additionally, please forward
same information to Alex Stoddard, Manager of Federal Government Affairs
(F: 202-289-8815) and Casey Canonge (F: 843-871-1035).

Thanks for you help.

(See attached file: OP-ED-FOREST FIRE.doc)

Document follows in next post.

[Jeff]

7/8/02

OP-ED: Forest Service Needs Active Management to Address Wildfire Threat

It is said that the Emperor Nero fiddled while his capital Rome burned. In the midst of what is becoming one of the most severe wildfire seasons in modern memory (2.6 million acres through the end of June), we also find ourselves "fiddling" while our nation’s forests burn.

There are three basic questions we should be asking: how did it get this bad, what’s it going to take to fix it, and how can we avoid this situation in the future? The ongoing drought conditions over most of the country aren’t controllable, and have occurred periodically in the past. What’s different this time is the fuel build up in our nation’s forests; the result of past public sentiment and forest policy gone bad.

Beginning in the 1890’s and continuing through the first half of the 20th century, catastrophic wildfires with names like Peshtigo, Tillamook and Great Dismal Swamp destroyed millions of acres and took thousands of lives. Out of these fires grew a national mandate to protect our national forests and the people who lived in and around them.

In 1935 the U.S. Forest Service adopted an aggressive "10 AM policy" that stated that all wild fires should be contained no later than 10AM the day after they were reported. An orphaned bear cub rescued from the 1950 Capitan Gap fire in New Mexico, added his voice with the message, "REMEMBER, only you can prevent forest fires."

As all fire was excluded the composition of the forest began to gradually change. The open, park like settings maintained by periodic, low intensity fires used by Native Americans and the occasional lightning fire, gave way to dense, overcrowded stands with heavy fuels that reached from the forest floor all the way to the tree crowns. These overcrowded conditions also led to broad reaching outbreaks of insects and other forest pests, further worsening fuel conditions.

The fire triangle requires just three elements: fuel, oxygen and an ignition source. In recent years they have come together with devastating effect: more than 12 million acres burned in just the past 2 years. That’s not just 12 million acres of damaged timber; it’s 12 million acres of adversely affected wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation and tourism. Severe wildfires are bad for the environment and bad for people.

As early as the 1970’s the Forest Service began to revise its policies of fire exclusion. They called for increased use of "controlled" burns, and thinning and timber harvesting to reduce fuel build up. But they find themselves boxed in by a variety of conflicting public policies and mandates. When they do set a direction, they find their hands tied by litigation and endless appeals.

The drought conditions will eventually pass, and the snows of this coming winter will eventually extinguish the last embers of this year’s fires. But the problems associated with forest health will continue to be with us until we can reduce the amount of fuels through thinning, timber harvesting and use of prescribed burning. Some will argue that this is just a way for timber companies to harvest more timber. Fact is, nationally, less than 5 percent of the industry’s wood comes from public lands.

This isn’t about more timber; it’s about saving our nation’s forests. We need to push aside the policy and litigation roadblocks and allow the Forest Service to implement active, science based management on our National Forests. Until then we can expect to find ourselves, like Nero, fiddling while Rome burns.