“Treating our forests and preparing our communities is the best medicine we have to reduce fire risk, bring down the costs of fighting fire over time and continue to provide recreation, clean water and quality habitat for wildlife.”
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining, and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, held a field hearing in Seattle to discuss wildland fire management. More than 700,000 acres are burning in the state of Washington and more than 1 million acres have burned nationwide so far this year.
Senator Barrasso delivered the following opening remarks at the hearing highlighting opportunities to improve federal wildland fire management.
Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks:
“As I call this wildland fire hearing to order, I am mindful of the recent loss of life and property here in Washington state.
“I want to acknowledge the many sacrifices made by firefighters and their families to protect, serve and keep our communities safe.
“Sadly, we all too often have seen the ultimate sacrifice made by brave men and women, including the recent deaths of Thomas Zbyszewski, Andrew Zaja and Richard Wheeler.
“Senator Cantwell, please know that in Wyoming, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Washington and the families of these firefighters at this time.
“I know people around the country are reaching out to assist in any way they can.
“Wyoming has deployed two UH-60 helicopters, their crews and a maintenance crew to assist with aerial firefighting here in Washington.
“We are seeing firsthand how extremely detrimental wildland fires are to families and communities throughout the West.
“In addition to the loss of life and property, we see a loss of wildlife and wildlife habitat, increased soil erosion, large carbon and smoke releases, loss of jobs and businesses, and degradation of watersheds.
“We must recognize there are many contributing factors for why wildfire size and intensity and the costs to fight fires are increasing.
“Increasing fire costs and severity are the result of: excessive fuel loads, overcrowding, and drought; decades of fire suppression; declining forest health due to insects and disease; the spread of invasive species such as cheatgrass and an ever expanding Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).
“These conditions underscore the importance of preparing for and mitigating their impacts.
“Congress must act – for the safety of our firefighters and communities – and for the health of our forests.
“Congressional action must include a combination of actions.
“Congress must end the practice of fire borrowing and we must do it in a financially responsible way.
“The Senate Interior Appropriations bill provides one fiscally responsible approach that ends fire borrowing.
“We can end fire borrowing by budgeting for 100 percent of the 10-year average for fire suppression and providing a limited emergency reserve or contingency fund for firefighting in above-average years.
“This will guarantee that firefighters have the tools and resources they need to safely and effectively fight fires.
“I commend Senator Murkowski, chairman of the committee, for advancing a reasonable solution on this difficult issue.
“Senator Cantwell, Senator Murkowski and I will continue to work closely together on this topic.
“Congress cannot simply stop with budgetary measures and providing emergency funding alone and say the fire problem is fixed.
“Congress must also take steps to encourage greater community preparedness, especially in the WUI; allow for the adoption of proven technologies; prioritize funding for vital active management treatment activities to protect lives and property; provide policy reforms to combat excessive fuel loads, and extensive time lags for projects and ensure the Forest Service is spending funds in the best and most efficient manner.
“Wildfires are not simply a fire-budgeting or money problem – they are a landscape management problem.
“Long term, I see no higher priority for the Forest Service than treating our forests to make them healthy again.
“Healthy, resilient forests are fire-resistant forests.
“We know in many forest areas what agencies and communities can do to reduce their risk and prepare for the fires we know are coming.
“Today we will hear testimony on what communities need to reduce the threat of wildfire.
“As a doctor I appreciate the adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
“To reduce the risk to life and property posed by wildfires and decrease the cost and severity of fires, we must get more work done in our national forests.
“According to the Forest Service, between 62 and 82 million acres are in need of treatment and at risk of catastrophic wildfire.
“That is more than 40 percent of the entire National Forest System and the number is growing.
“Congress must help the Forest Service manage the land to address the unhealthy state of our nation forests.
“We simply cannot allow the status quo to continue.
“It is now a necessity to conduct more prescribed fires, perform more fuels reduction treatments, and undertake more vegetation management projects to thin our unnaturally overcrowded forests.
“We must get treatments implemented at the same pace and scale at which fires and other disturbances are occurring.
“We need to expedite the coordination and approval of those management activities which reduce our fire threat.
“Treating our forests and preparing our communities is the best medicine we have to reduce fire risk, bring down the costs of fighting fire over time and continue to provide recreation, clean water and quality habitat for wildlife.
“It is also a sustainable way to provide the jobs and economic activity that our rural and forested communities desperately need.
“We continue to see how fires impact jobs and economic activity in these same communities.
“I have introduced, S. 1691, the National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act, to make treating our forests the priority it needs to be.
“The bill includes innovative ideas like arbitration to get the Forest Service out of the courtroom and back into woods treating our forests.
“I understand the fire bill you plan to introduce, Senator Cantwell, will not address some of these things.
“These items will still be addressed under the leadership of Senator Murkowski, and you Senator Cantwell, as I know you appreciate that more actively managing our forests is an obvious part of the equation.
“As with fire policy, I know the committee will work together to advance legislation with innovative ideas for getting the Forest Service back to treating our forests, so we can restore more acres and prevent additional loss of life and property.
“In addition to budgeting and treatment activities, cost containment and operational factors are additional areas we need to closely consider.
“The cost of fires continues to go in only one direction—up, while the number of fires and the number of acres burned varies year to year.
“Dr. Medler’s organization has done a report on that.
“Last year highlighted the problem with this trend.
“The Forest Service spent $200 million more on suppression than it spent on average over the last 10 years, despite there being less than half the number of fires and less than half the number of acres burned.
“Congress needs to provide greater clarity and direction for the Forest Service.
“Operational factors associated with wildfire management — such as objectives, strategies, and tactics — all have significant efficiency and cost implications.
“We need to consider a paradigm shift from one that is focused primarily on fire suppression, to one with a focus on fire preparedness and landscape management best practices.
“It is my goal to work with you, Senator Cantwell, and with Chairman Murkowski and other members of the committee, to incorporate what we learn here to develop a federal wildfire policy that responsibly funds wildfire suppression needs; ends the unsustainable practice of fire borrowing; improves operational efficiencies and firefighter safety; helps get our communities to be fire-wise and makes the necessary investments in a full array of fuel treatments.”
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