Washington, DC  -  We are very fortunate to have the majority of the Mark Twain National Forest in the Eighth Congressional District. While the forest provides us countless recreational opportunities, there are many who make a living from its natural resources such as lead and timber. However, while the forest offers us so much, it also comes with a great responsibility.  We all have watched the last few summers as wild fires have raged across the West.  These fires have taken lives and livelihoods and the most troubling part is that they could have been prevented.  Over-burdensome laws have made it next to impossible to conduct simple forest management practices like the  thinning of brush and removal of sick trees.  As a result, the trees and brush build up hampering new growth and providing fuel for these devastating fires. Last week, Congress and President Bush joined forces to pass The Healthy Forests Restoration Act (The Healthy Forest Initiative).  The Healthy Forest Initiative will streamline federal and local efforts to restore forest health through active land management efforts. What this means is that we have taken some of the burdensome red tape from our National Forest Policy. 

 
Insuring the health of our woodlands is critical to the success of rural communities like ours in Southern Missouri. Those who live and work in and around areas like the Mark Twain National Forest realize that we are directly affected by our timber management policies and it is in our best interest to protect our valuable resources. In Missouri, the wood products industry employs more than 34,000 people and contributes about $3 billion a year to the state's economy.  Without this resource we would be unable to meet the demand for wood products.  The results could be devastating: massive imports of timber to build homes and a massive export of jobs from our region. We should remember that many of these jobs wouldn't exist without a forest where timberland health and public access are adequately balanced.

The economic health of our region and the health of our woodlands can coexist.   Over the past several years, environmental scientists have been looking at ways to strike a balance between wood product production and woodland health. Recent research has shown the benefit of new techniques to help us effectively manage our forests to make them viable for the future, reduce the risk of disease and wildfires and continue timber product production. We can prevent these catastrophic wildfires simply by managing our timberlands with controlled fire, cleaning out the underbrush and thinning the areas that are vulnerable to intense fires and insect attacks. This is common sense. And it is the consensus of scientists, wildlife biologists, forestry professionals and firefighters -- the very people who have dedicated their lives to keeping our forests healthy and our communities safe.

Those who rely on the woodlands for a living believe what so many farmers, ranchers and others in rural America believe – that they are the true stewards of the land. They know if they don’t take care of the land, then the land won’t take care of them. They believe in leaving our nature’s most sacred treasures to future generations. Now, with the passage of the Healthy Forest Initiative in the House, the goal is within our reach. I hope that the Senate will act quickly on this legislation so that we can establish a  well-thought-out forest management policy that balances our environmental and economic needs.