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Forest management helps ease budgets

A recent story (Herald, Jan. 26) highlighted the fact that due to budget cuts, the San Juan National Forest is being forced to make changes to its recreation program, including decommissioning some sites, while significantly reducing services at others. By completing a recreation site analysis and implementing the Plan of Work, the national forest will hopefully make its recreation program sustainable over the long-term.

Although the story and RSA do a great job at explaining the need for change (less money), they don’t address the nature of the agency’s chronic budget problems. The reality is the U.S. Forest Service used to be able to fund a variety of programs, including recreation and roads, thanks to revenues generated through active forest management. According to a congressional report, the Forest Service once averaged more than $1 billion in revenues annually. Today, the Forest Service spends $2 for every $1 it produces, and with smaller budgets, cuts to programs become necessary. Timber harvests on National Forests are down 80 percent over the last 30 years, while at the same time, 65-82 million acres of Forest Service lands are at high risk of wildfires. Additionally, the Forest Service now spends more than 50 percent of its budget fighting fires, compared to just 16 percent in 1995.

The lack of management to remove excess growth is making our forests increasingly susceptible to catastrophic wildfires that threaten public safety, the economic livelihood of communities, water supply, and forest health. Last year alone, more than 10 million acres burned, while only a little over 200,000 acres were harvested. This means that 50 times as many acres burned as were responsibly harvested. While I recognize that not all of the acres that burned could, or even should, be harvested, this figure clearly demonstrates the need for more active forest management of our national forests. So while I applaud the San Juan for taking the steps to make its recreation program sustainable, I encourage the staff to do the same with its forest management program.

Molly Pitts Healthy Forests Healthy Communities

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