Heath Shuler: “this bill includes important reforms that will help conservation efforts by private forest landowners. Today I offer an…”

“this bill includes important reforms that will help conservation efforts by private forest landowners. Today I offer an amendment to help out a little more. Over 260 million acres of forest lands are in the hands of families and individuals. At least 75 million acres of forests are part of farms. Forests provide habitats for wildlife, a source for clean water, and places to hunt, fish, hike and enjoy other recreational activities. But many of our privately owned forest lands are threatened by insects or diseases, and these threats are real. Most of the insects or diseases are non-native and invasive, making them difficult to contain. In my district, private landowners expect to lose all of their hemlocks from the attack of the hemlock wooly adelgid. This loss would permanently alter the diversity and unique forest environment in our region. Madam Chairman, this bill provides emergency restoration funding for private forest lands that experience a loss or damage from natural disaster. My amendment would take this one step further and allow the emergency restoration funds to be used for treating private forest lands under imminent threat of attack by insect and disease. In the case of insect or disease, we must stop their invasion before they create the disaster. Preventing the losses will save money and save our forests. Prevention is less expensive than restoration.”