Responsible Management of Forest Resources

As Chair of the Public Lands and Forest Subcommittee, of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Wyden is determined to advance an agenda of responsible forest management.  The health of many public forests is currently poor.  Many second-growth, plantation forests are overstocked, badly in need of management and in increasingly severe danger of catastrophic fire.  Senator Wyden is working to get ahead of the problem by pushing the land management agencies to thin overstocked, fuel-laden forests before fire overtakes them.  Senator Wyden also believes that it is essential to provide protection for old growth and roadless areas, while we focus on restoring the many forests at risk.

During the debate over the President's Healthy Forest Restoration bill in 2003, Senator Wyden worked for months to find a balanced, bipartisan compromise.  He sought to streamline forest restoration in at-risk and unhealthy forests while preserving public input and protecting old growth.  In the end, Senator Wyden helped broker a compromise to restore balance to the healthy forests bill by addressing the real problems of forest health while protecting the environment.  Unlike the original proposal by the Administration, the compromise preserved opportunities for public input and appeal and allows for the public to engage in a collaborative process with the Forest Service to improve projects before final decisions are made by the agency.

The compromise further mandates that older forest plans be revised to protect old growth before agencies can reduce hazardous fuels in the forests and, where old growth stands are healthy, requires that they be fully maintained.  Senator Wyden was extremely proud that not one single environmental law was lost under the compromise. 

While the management of public lands will also be contentious, Senator Wyden will continue to bring both sides together to reduce conflicts without abandoning his core values.  He has consistently supported the national effort, begun by the Clinton administration, to permanently protect over 58 million acres of roadless areas and will continue to work for additional safeguards for our nation's roadless areas.  He will continue to work to ensure that old growth stands are not unnecessarily targeted while, ecologically less significant growth stands are available for timber harvest.  Senator Wyden believes the protection of these unspoiled areas can produce gains for fish runs, habitat and watershed quality that outweigh the benefits of commercial development.

Senator Wyden will continue working to find balanced solutions that protect Oregon’s forests and improve their health.

Share Your Views with Senator Wyden

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