In the East Garden of the White House, the president praised the House for its expected passage later in the day of a bill that would streamline environmental studies and limit appeals on proposed work to cut trees and brush on as many as 20 million acres of forest land.
``For too many years, bureaucratic tangles and bad forest policy have prevented foresters from keeping our woodlands healthy and safe,'' Bush said at a ceremony to endorse the House bill, sponsored by Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo.
``Enough on the House floor, I hope, know what we need to do,'' Bush said. ``Just got to make sure that enough senators know what we need to do.''
Environmental groups oppose the bill, saying it gives government foresters permission to let timber companies log large trees in the interest of thinning. Nathaniel Lawrence, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, calls the McInnis bill a ``plan to benefit industry under the guise of fire prevention.''
More than 7 million acres across the West burned last year in the second-worst fire season in 50 years. Huge fires in Arizona and Colorado scorched forests where portions of projects meant to reduce the fire threat were tied up in appeals, Bush said, standing in the shadow of a giant Magnolia thought to have been planted by President Andrew Jackson.
Twenty-three firefighters died battling major blazes, which burned in 15 states and destroyed 815 homes, he said. In addition, he said five western states _ Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and California _ have lost 47,000 timber jobs since 1989; 400 mills have closed in those states.
``This year's fire outlook seems less severe, and that's good news,'' Bush said. ``Yet the danger persists, and many of our forests are facing a higher-than-normal risk of costly and catastrophic fires.''
He said wild fires in overgrown forests burn hotter and spread faster than other fires. They sterilize soil, prompting soil erosion, and destroy the habitats of endangered species.
``During seasonal droughts, these small trees and underbrush act as ladders for fires to reach to the tops of our oldest and tallest trees,'' he said.
``Sound science shows that we can prevent such fires by managing forests with controlled fire, cleaning out the underbrush and thinning the areas that are vulnerable to intense fires and insect attacks,'' he said.
An alternative plan is being supported by The Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Earthjustice, American Lands, the Natural Resources Defense Council, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Trout Unlimited, National Environmental Trust and other environmental organizations. The groups advocate fuel-reduction projects and fire protections along the boundaries of communities next to forest lands.
``Fire season is just around the corner, but Rep. McInnis continues to overlook the very communities that need help,'' says Mike Francis, director of The Wilderness Society's national forest program. ``In fact, his plan would provide more help to timber companies than to fire-threatened and cash-starved communities.''
Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., disagreed.
``We can either manage our forests or we can watch them burn,'' he told reporters after the White House event.
And Rep. Mike Ross, an Arkansas Democrat who favors the House bill, says: ``There is a big difference from being an environmentalist and being an extremist.
``The timber industry is a huge part of our economy. We have national forests burned to the ground, while we have mills that are not in operation.''
