August 21, 2003 (Washington, DC) - Over the last few weeks, President Bush has used the threat of wildfire to call for the logging of trees deep in National Forests. His plan is based on the misguided belief that cutting trees can fireproof a forest. Most troubling, the plan does not meet the first priority of any wildfire policy: protecting homes and lives.
Westerners know how to make their communities safer from wildfires but they need help to finish the job. Unfortunately, the Administration has ignored local leaders and the recommendations of the Western Governors Association; and dismissed both government and outside experts in favor of a policy that does little to protect communities from wildfire and instead promotes logging in the backwoods far from homes and towns.
The Administration and the Forest Service should be doing everything possible to help communities help themselves. It's time for the President and Congress to act quickly and support a plan to puts people first and prioritizes community and firefighter safety.
