Herseth for Congress

Speed forest restoration
By The Journal Editorial Board, Rapid City Journal
May 17, 2006

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote today on a bill that would speed salvage logging projects on federal lands. The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., would allow federal land managers to use expedited procedures for implementing a forest restoration plan.

Environmental groups are lining up against the legislation because it would waive environmental reviews required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Endangered Species Act.

Russ Levsen, spokesman for Rep. Herseth, said environmental concerns have been addressed by the bill's sponsors and that the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act (HR 4200) provides "balanced, common sense solutions" to forest restoration efforts. Levsen said Herseth took the lead on the bill, scheduled a field hearing in Hill City last year and included provisions in the bill that pertain to insect infestations.

"Just as a speedy response is crucial when fighting a fire, it is also necessary when planning forest recovery efforts," Herseth said in a written statement. "Long delays open the ground to invasive species and the trees to bug infestations. They open the soils to erosion and can threaten water supplies. Any recovery approach should recognize these realities and move quickly - whether the specific recovery project is harvesting dead trees or planting new ones."

The legislation allows forest managers to establish pre-approved restoration guidelines for a given area and type of vegetation. Because NEPA's environmental review process can take many months to course through the writing and appeals process, a salvage logging project might eventually be approved but be too late to use the wood. HR 4200 would require land managers to decide on a recovery plan within 30 days of a natural event that damages areas larger than 1,000 acres. A 90-day environmental review and comment period follows, using Healthy Forest Act procedures.

The ecosystem of a specific vegetation type, such as the Black Hill's ponderosa pine forests, does not appreciably change within a single national forest. Managers shouldn't have to conduct an identical environmental review over and over again whenever they need to take action to protect forest health in their national forest.

Because pre-approved restoration plans are already in place, forest managers can quickly respond to salvage dead timber after a wildfire, or to prevent wildfires by clearing dead or dying trees - which can help keep an insect infestation, such as the mountain pine beetle, from spreading and killing more trees.

HR 4200 has gone through several field hearings, congressional hearings and committee debate and passage. The environmental concerns raised by opponents of the bill have been thoroughly debated and answered numerous times. It's time to end the debate and pass the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act. We urge the House to pass HR 4200.

Paid for by Herseth for Congress