NEWS
For Immediate Release
January 5, 2001 Contact: Stefany Bales
(208) 667-4641

Foresters Say Roadless Plan Won't Protect Forests

COEUR D'ALENE, ID - Forestry professionals responded critically today as President Clinton approved a new roadless area plan that puts nearly 60 million acres of Forest Service land off limits to management nationally, with 9.5 million of those acres in Idaho alone. Jim Riley, Executive Director of the Intermountain Forest Association, said the Forest Service, at Clinton's direction, and in spite of the latest science showing the poor health of national forest land, just did the absolute wrong thing to protect our forests. "This plan is nothing more than a continuation of the Clinton Administration's politization of federal land management. This is all about political science, and Clinton's quest for an environmental legacy in the last hours of his administration," he said. "The wildfires that blazed across the western landscape, and across the front pages of newspapers nationwide last summer have shed new light on the poor health of our national forests and on federal land management policy," Riley said. "The current forest health crisis on the national forests is not a forest industry issue - it is a forest density issue. The failing condition of federal forests is a terrible reality that impacts all Americans -- the national forests belong to the people and we depend on them to provide many things."

"It's astonishing that an administration which allegedly embraces science, would ignore the fact that our national forests are experiencing the worst forest health crisis in history with 65 million acres, or one-third of our national forests, at risk to catastrophic wildfire, insect infestation and disease. Yet, rather than embracing a professional and scientific approach to manage those lands, the Forest Service has issued a plan to prevent foresters from caring for them," Riley said.

"Eliminating road access - the most efficient and effective tool foresters have to treat the serious forest health problems that exist in our forests - is unprofessional and irresponsible," he said. "Today's forest businesses have both the technology and the motivation to be active partners in science-based restoration forestry programs, but federal land managers must recognize they need our help," Riley said. " An opportunity exists to break free of the gridlock of the past decade," Riley said. "The challenge to our government leaders is to create the climate for new environmental partnerships that allow America's forests, forest businesses, and communities to thrive," he said. "It is our hope that we have seen the last of the contentious, top-down policies of the past 8 years and that we can now begin a new era of science-based forestry that includes the input of local people and communities," Riley said.

The Intermountain Forest Association represents the interests of forest products businesses and forestland owners in Idaho and western Montana.