"On this Memorial Day, we add some 150 new names to the list of fallen heroes: those who lost their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  People like Navy Corpsman Michael Vann Johnson, Jr. of Little Rock, who died while attending to a wounded soldier on the Battlefield in Iraq.  Those brave men and women died fighting to free a nation, and to protect the freedom of their own.  My thoughts and prayers go out to their families on this solemn remembrance.

"Albert Einstein once said, "The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure."

"Right now our nation is under a heightened terror alert.  Despite our success in the War on Terror, those who wish to inflict harm on our nation because of our ideals are still lurking, still planning, and still plotting to steal our American spirit.  On this Memorial Day, we remember all of those who have given their lives for that spirit, in the name of freedom and democracy, but we also remember and honor those still fighting to protect it."

H.R.1904 attempts to curtail the growing insect, disease, and wildfire epidemics that are devouring millions of acres of federal and private forestlands each year across the United States.   The bill would empower federal land managers with the tools to implement scientifically supported management practices in federal forests, while establishing conservation programs focused on improving water quality and regenerating declining forest ecosystems on private lands.

“I am pleased to be a part of this bipartisan effort to protect one of our nation’s greatest treasures; our forests,” Ross said.  “We have all seen the devastating effects of such threats as wildfires and insect infestation.  Tens of millions of acres of public and private forests throughout the South and the Midwest face catastrophic damage from a host of pests, like the Southern Pine Beetle, Red and White Oak borers, and others –and Arkansas is no exception.  This initiative will provide us with the resources we need to curb the risk of these dangers from occurring in our own national forests.  In Arkansas, almost one out of every three acres of forest will be eligible for the expedited procedures authorized by this bill.  

“We have environmentalists and then we have extremists. True environmentalists like myself believe we must properly manage our national forests in order to protect and preserve them.  Trees are a crop and a lack of forest management has resulted in trees being eaten up by insects and lost to forest fires.  The timber industry creates many economic opportunities and jobs for working families in Arkansas.  Yet our sawmills are not at full production while trees are simply dying due to insect infestation.  We must manage the timber in national forests to save it for future generations while allowing the forest management to result in new jobs for our people.

“I was pleased that President Bush invited me to be a part of promoting this initiative to actively manage our forests, and I am looking forward to quick action on this common sense legislation so we may protect our forests and continue to enjoy them.”

Ross is a cosponsor of H.R.1904.  The House of Representatives passed the bill Tuesday by a 256-170 vote.