WILD FOREST PROTECTION

. FOREST SERVICE ROADLESS AREA PROTECTION PLAN

“Today we launch one of the largest land preservation efforts in America’s history to protect these priceless, backcountry lands….These areas represent some of the last, best, unprotected wildlands anywhere in our nation….We will assure that [generations to come] will be able to look out on valleys like this, just as beautiful then as they are now.”

- President William Jefferson Clinton, October 13, 1999

Background

On January 5, 2001, President Clinton signed the Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement to protect approximately 60 million acres of wild roadless areas on National Forests from logging and road building. This policy recognizes the value of National Forest roadless areas for providing clean water, clean air, fish and wildlife habitat and backcountry recreation.

The Final Roadless Policy:

· Protects 58.5 million acres of National Forest land stretching over 39 states, including 9.3 million acres of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

· Prohibits new road constriction for leasable minerals, including oil and gas.

· Does not provide protection for roadless areas less than 5,000 acres or uninventoried roadless areas, leaving the protection of additional roadless areas to the Forest Plan revision process as directed by the new National Forest Management Act regulations.

Unprecedented Public Involvement

The final roadless area policy is the product of two decades of controversy over roadless area timber sales and three years of discussion and public participation. Almost two million official public comments were counted by the Forest Service in the last year, with more than 95% supporting the strongest possible protection for our wild forests.

Since President Clinton’s announcement in October 1999 directing the Forest Service to develop a policy to protect large tracts of currently wild National Forests, the Forest Service has conducted over 600 public meetings. At least two meetings were held on each National Forest plus additional meetings were held in the location of regional offices. In announcing the release of FEIS on November 14, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman noted that: “Never before have the American people so actively participated in helping to decide how their public lands should be managed.”

There is Strong Public Support for the Roadless Area Protection Plan

A recent national survey by leading Republican pollster Linda DiVall found that 76% of Americans support the administration proposal to protect roadless areas in our National Forests. Republicans support the proposal, by a 2-to-1 margin (62%-31%), and Westerners by a 3-to-1 margin (72%-24%). Among Democrats, 86% supported the Clinton plan to protect wild, roadless National Forests. Seventy-eight percent of independents, 72% of seniors, and vast majorities from all regions of the country said they supported the roadless protection initiative.

Since the October 1999 announcement, more than 125 newspapers from across the country have editorialized in favor of the Clinton administration’s roadless protection plan.

Members of Congress Support Protecting Roadless Areas

In the mid-90's Congress reviewed the Forest Service roadbuilding program in a series of oversight hearings, appropriations amendments and conference committee agreements. Congress decided that with an excessive inventory of 433,000 miles of roads, an $8.4 billion backlog in road maintenance, and only 20% of the roads being maintained each year; it was time to stop building new roads in roadless areas.

In 1998, during the Smith Forest Health bill (H.R. 2515) vote, the House of Representatives went on record in support of the Forest Service roadbuilding moratorium. The House voted down, 187-200, a second degree amendment by Rep. Helen Chenoweth (R-ID) that would have allowed roadbuilding and logging in roadless areas. In a 1999 voice vote, the House of Representatives agreed to an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill by Rep. George Miller (D-CA) that no funds should be spent building roads in roadless areas.

In June of 1999, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Representative Steve Horn (R-CA) initiated a letter, signed by 168 members of the US House of Representatives, urging the President to take decisive action to all protect roadless areas on our national forests from logging, mining, and other destructive activities.

In December of 1999, Senator Barbara Boxer initiated a letter signed by 20 Senators in support of protecting all roadless areas from destructive activities.

Strong Scientific Support for Protecting Roadless Areas

In December 1997, 160 scientists from across the nation wrote to President Clinton saying that “In our view, a scientifically-based policy for roadless areas on public lands should, at a minimum, protect from development all roadless areas larger than 1,000 acres because of their contributions to regional landscapes.” In 1998, a similar letter was sent to the President signed by over 200 scientists.

The scientific community has found that roadless areas are the least in need of stewardship activities, as these areas are far more fire resistant than previously logged and roaded forest landscapes.

Roadless Policy Threatened by Roll back

The majority of the House and Senate have recognized the importance of protecting National Forest roadless areas. The Record of Decision signed on January 5^th is consistent with this support and we urge the 107^th Congress to support the Roadless Area Protection Policy. We hope that that the Congress does not take action to roll back the protection that these areas deserve.