Apache County’s forest-stewardship agreement with the U.S. Forest Service was held up at a congressional hearing Friday as a model for other governments trying to tame the growing problem of wildfires.
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Flagstaff, said programs like Apache County’s contract to help thin the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest should be part of a national strategy of forest management – not merely fire suppression – to combat catastrophic wildfires.
“Our forests have been mismanaged for a long time and it is way past due to change our strategy,” Gosar told the House Natural Resources Committee. “Although the need to suppress fires is never going to go away, we must shift priority towards proactive management.”
He was testifying in support of his bill that would encourage federal officials to enter into timber-harvesting and grazing projects to reduce the amount of potential wildfire fuel on federal lands.
From The Cronkite News: https://cronkitenewsonline.com/2012/07/apache-county-stewardship-program-cited-as-cure-for-disease-of-growing-wildfires/