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News from Rep. Stephanie Herseth
For Immediate Release
Contact: Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449

RESOURCES COMMITTEE APPROVES BILL TO IMPROVE FOREST RECOVERY AND RESEARCH

Herseth Original Cosponsor of Legislation to Help Forests Recover after Natural Disasters including Fires and Bug Infestations

March 30, 2006, Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth today announced that the House Resources Committee has passed comprehensive legislation to assist forest managers in recovery after a natural disaster. Herseth is an original co-sponsor of the bill, HR 4200, the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act, or FERRA, along with Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), chairman of the Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, and Rep. Brian Baird, (D-WA).

Herseth has worked closely with Chairman Walden to shape the legislation, including hosting him at a field hearing last year in Hill City, South Dakota to examine the effect of the bill on forests like the Black Hills National Forest. During that hearing, they heard testimony from local forestry officials, as well as representatives from the timber industry and from the environmental community. The hearing allowed for a specific focus on the beetle infestations that the Black Hills region has experienced.

Rep. Herseth said, "Current regulatory framework does not give forest supervisors adequate latitude to respond to forest catastrophes. Whether that catastrophe is a fire, a hurricane, or a beetle infestation, forest managers often have the knowledge, but not the authority, to respond quickly. The Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act will provide the tools for a rapid response, rely on the experience of forestry professionals, and promote new research to improve forestry practices. I am confident that this legislation will provide an effective framework to ensure that our forests can recover after a fire."

Herseth said the bill is necessary because it will help eliminate needless and costly delays to recovery. She said, "These delays have consequences. Delays can provide a foothold for invasive species, open soils to erosion, and destroy the economic value of the burnt trees. These are all needless penalties and ones than can be averted with swift action. We have seen all too often in South Dakota what can happen when there are unreasonable barriers to action that could severely affect the health of our forests."

Herseth noted that the bill does not require any specific action. She said, "Importantly, this bill will enable us - but not require us - to act after a disaster. It will enable forest managers to restore the health and diversity of our forests after a major catastrophic event. It also creates a new forest research program with a dedicated funding source that will help us to understand the impact of our forest management choices in order to fine tune the knowledge base we already work from."

The bill must next gain approval from the House Agriculture and Transportation committees, before a vote on the House Floor.

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