Our nation's forests and rangelands are at risk. An estimated 190 million acres of federal forests and rangelands in the U.S., an area twice the size of California, face high risk of catastrophic fires that could have severe impacts on people, communities, and natural resources. Years of natural fuels build-up, coupled with drought, insect and disease damage make our forests vulnerable to environmentally destructive fires. Many of our forests are 15 times denser than they were a century ago. Where 25 to 35 trees once grew per acre now more than 500 trees are crowded together in unhealthy conditions.
The Bush Administration, through agencies of the Department of the Interior the Department of Agriculture, is responding to this challenge on several fronts. For example, from 2001 through 2006, the President requested nearly $2.5 billion specifically to reduce hazardous fuels. With these dollars, the agencies will have treated nearly 16 million acres by the end of this year (2006) compared with some 9 million acres treated in the previous six year period. Additional firefighters have been hired, equipment updated, and thousands of local firefighting organizations helped with training and equipment purchases.
President Bush announced his Healthy Forests Initiative on August 22, 2002. On December 3, 2003, he signed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, vital legislation that supports his Healthy Forests Initiative.
Today we use the procedural tools provided by these two actions to help reduce the risk of catastrophic fire. The new tools help speed the approval process for projects that reduce hazardous fuels in priority locations chosen in collaboration with state, tribal, and local officials as well as other partners. These tools also provide for more timely responses to disease and insect infestations and to other events judged to threaten forest health.
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