PPRC Position Paper on Fire Salvage of Timber Lands
The PPRC supports the National Reforestation Act of 2004.
Wood Products Industry employees see thinning and controlled burns as a forest health
management tool.
Fire salvage as forest enhancement:
- Salvage of fire-damaged timber contributes to local, state and national economies.
- Salvage of fire-damaged timber contributes to restoration of forests when followed by replanting.
- Salvage of fire-damaged timber will more quickly aid the restoration of game habitat and restore aesthetic values.
- Salvage of fire-damaged timber discourages infestation from insects like the bark beetle, Douglas fir, tussock moth, mountain pine beetle and the Douglas fir beetle.
- Salvage and thinning operations will reduce the prospect of catastrophic fires and help to reduce safety hazards.
The Pulp and Paperworkers’ Resource Council seeks a practical approach to forest management:
- Make the salvage of fire-damaged trees a high priority with the appropriate time lines to ensure the maximum recovery of trees possible.
- Make under-story management and thinning a high priority and a fully funded part of the budget.
- Encourage the use of controlled burns as a forest management tool.
- Evaluate current regulations regarding forest fires and limit new regulations.
- Allow foresters to apply short-term emergency solutions during severe outbreaks (i.e. modify constraints of appeals process).
- Institute policies that utilize more site-specific, goal-oriented management rather than blanket
regulations.
- Write laws in a way that directly tells the foresters how to use their knowledge and tools to maintain and manage forest health.
- Require the Forest Service (USFS) to replant severely burnt areas within a reasonable timeframe to stabilize the soil and get the next forest growing.
The PPRC is a grassroots organization representing the interests of the nation's pulp, paper,
solid wood products, and other natural resource-based workers. The U.S. forest products industry
is vitally important to our nation's economy, employing 1.5 million people. We rank among the top
10 manufactures in 46 states with annual sales exceeding $230 billion, which accounts for 7% of the
U.S. manufacturing shipments. We are people dedicated to conserving the environment while taking into
account the economic stability of the workforce and surrounding community.
Position Paper Page
Rev. 02-02-08
