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WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) today announced details for an upcoming congressional field hearing of the House Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, which he chairs, to review findings in a recently published study conducted by a team from Oregon State University (OSU) on land management in forests damaged by catastrophic events.
Subcommittee Ranking Member Tom Udall (D-NM), requested that Walden hold a hearing to review this additional research; Walden, a strong advocate of using research and peer-reviewed science in the policy-making process agreed. The hearing has been scheduled for Friday, February 24th, at 1:00 PM in Medford, Oregon. In an effort to select a site that was both convenient and inexpensive for individuals coming from OSU as well as Members of Congress flying in from various states.
“We have held seven subcommittee hearings – including three field hearings – on the issue of post-catastrophic forest management and I look forward to hearing from the authors of this study about their findings on this issue as well. The more we can learn from researchers, the better our decisions regarding policy and legislation will be,” said Walden. “I also look forward to hosting my colleagues on the Subcommittee and others interested in issues of forest health and management in southern Oregon, an area far too familiar with the devastation catastrophic wildfire can inflict.”
In November, Walden, Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA) and Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth (D-SD) introduced The Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act, H.R. 4200, legislation that would enhance the pool of peer-reviewed research on post-catastrophic land management in our national forests to aid foresters, educators and policy makers in their decision making processes.
WHAT: Congressional Field Hearing of the Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee
WHO: All members of the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health (Congressman
Greg Walden, chairman) are invited; additional Members of Congress are also
welcome to attend. Final attendees will be announced as confirmed.
WHEN: Friday, February 24, 2006 - 1:00 PM
WHERE: Medford City Council Chambers - 411 West 8th Street; Medford, OR
As is the custom with Congressional hearings, witnesses will be by invitation only. A list of witnesses will be announced prior to the hearing.
The Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act is the most comprehensive forest research bill introduced in decades. After input from leading scientists, the authors plan to refine the requirement for peer review of research to be “independent, third-party peer review by scientific and land management experts.” The measure will also be amended to include a provision to create a dedicated research fund to insure that money is available for research and monitoring.
In addition to its focus on scientific research, H.R.4200 would provide land managers with the tools and resources necessary to take responsible and timely action, where necessary, on federal forests after a devastating event such as a wildfire, hurricane, blow-down or ice storm.
Walden is currently in his fourth term representing the people of Oregon’s Second District which is more than 70,000 square miles of eastern, central and southern Oregon and includes nine national forests. He was one of the original authors of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act which provides federal land managers with a quicker system to reduce the threat of fires around communities and throughout forests.
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