Fairfax, VA – President George W. Bush has signed the “Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003,” which is expected to improve forest health and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildland fires by giving federal land managers more funding and power to carry out projects to decrease fuel loads.
The need for this bill was highlighted by the recent forest fires in California. On Nov. 4, President Bush was briefed on the California wildland fire situation by several IAFC members, including IAFC President Chief Ernest Mitchell.
During the legislative process, the IAFC lobbied strongly on behalf of a bipartisan compromise that would target funding for fuels-treatment projects in the wildland-urban interface. The bill also encourages communities to adopt wildland fire protection plans by giving priority to funding requests from communities with plans.
About the Healthy Forests Restoration Act
The bill authorizes $760 million for fuels mitigation projects on 20 million acres of federal land. At least 50 percent of those funds must be spent in the wildland-urban interface. It also expedites environmental reviews of fuels treatment projects and requires the USDA Forest Service and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management to fully maintain, or contribute, toward the restoration of old growth trees.
