Thomas Daschle: “today I join Senators Bingaman, Murray, Cantwell and others to introduce the Collaborative Forest Health Act to expedite…”

“today I join Senators Bingaman, Murray, Cantwell and others to introduce the Collaborative Forest Health Act to expedite forest thinning and improve forest health on our national forests and public lands. I thank Senator Bingaman for his leadership on this important issue. Everyone in the Senate wants to do what we can to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire. There is agreement on the need to accelerate fuel reduction activities because of the risk of severe fire is so high. Ongoing drought, past fire suppression policies, and past forestry practices have all contributed to the problem. These problems have made fire management much more expensive for American taxpayers. It is important to devote limited resources to proactive efforts to reduce fire risk rather than paying to fight fires once they occur. The risk of damage to human life and property from severe wildfires has increased in areas where rapidly expanding populations are intermingled with forested wildlands, and a primary purpose of the National Fire Plan is to reduce the risks of such fires.”