I rise today with an amendment to H.R. 1404, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act, which addresses the escalating costs of managing our public lands by creating a government fund for devastating, catastrophic wildfires.
Our nation's forests are in crisis. In Idaho and throughout the West, the Bark Beetle is wreaking havoc on healthy forests by killing trees at an alarming rate, thus increasing the risk and intensity of wildfires.
My Amendment to the FLAME Act addresses that problem by directing the allocation of funding to account for forest areas greatly damaged by infestation of invasive insects. Those areas have a high potential to burn quickly, and must be managed in an effective way for the benefit and protection of local communities.
Having worked in the forest product industry for nearly two decades, I know my way around the forest and have seen firsthand the devastation these beetles and other insects cause.
Several years ago I was hiking in the Seven Devil mountains of central Idaho and during the hike I encountered an entire forest of pine trees which were dead or dying. Even then, I was aware of the issue but had never seen anything quite like this before.
I spent 4 days in those mountains, hiking from high lake to high lake with my fly rod. And every white bark pine I saw on the highest slopes of the mountains during those 4 days were dead or dying. This was several years ago, and the problem has only grown worse.
Mister Speaker, these dead and dying forests are a tragedy in my state and in many others. We should not compound the tragedy by allowing all of those forests to burn up in wildfires which can also devastate our communities.
From my years in the forest products industry, I know that smart management can make a forest healthy and prevent catastrophic, expensive wildfires. My amendment will encourage that kind of management, and so I ask for the support of this body.