WALLY HERGER: “Mr. Chairman, recently concluded scientific studies of forests within the Sierra Nevada mountains of California indicate…”

“Mr. Chairman, recently concluded scientific studies of forests within the Sierra Nevada mountains of California indicate that timber harvests, when accompanied by forest thinning, biomass removal and other natural fuels prescriptions, can reduce fire risk and aid overall forest health conditions. These same studies indicate that natural fuels prescriptions are essential to the success of larger fire management strategies, such as developing systems of defensible fuels profile zones. Coordinated efforts of this kind, particularly when mechanical and natural fuel treatments are utilized, can also provide economic benefits to forest dependent communities in the form of merchantable fiber for mills, fuel for biomass cogeneration plants, and other valuable wood products. Mr. Chairman, is it therefore the gentleman's expectation that funds allocated to H.R. 3662 for forest health and natural fuels treatment in region 5 of the Forest Service should be used, to the extent feasible, for those prescriptions which both achieve forest health objectives and provide useful wood products for forest dependent communities?”