From: alra@governance.net Subject: Healthy Forests Restoration Act! Protect our nation’s Forests - Support the Healthy Forests Restoration Act! Congress is now addressing the forest health issue through The Healthy Forests Restoration Act. The premise of the debate is simple and clear: Given the massive scale of the threat that catastrophic wildfire and disease and insect infestation pose to the health of pristine forest ecosystems, threatened and endangered species, air quality, water quality and the safety of thousands of communities, something needs to be done! America’s forest ecosystems are being decimated at an alarming rate by large-scale catastrophic wildfires and massive outbreaks of disease, insect infestation and invasive species. Currently 190 million acres of land are at unnatural risk to catastrophic wildfire. Of that, over 70 million acres are at extreme risk to catastrophic wildfire in the immediate future. The summers of 2000 and 2002 were the two largest and most-destructive fire seasons in the last 50 years. For 100 years land managers have aggressively moved to suppress wildland fire in all forms, including nature’s periodic small-scale burnings that restore and rejuvenate forest ecosystems. The unintended result of this policy is a decades-long build up of forest fuel, woody biomass and dense underbrush that's as close as the next lightning strike or escaped camp fire from exploding into a large-scale wildfire. In 2002, hundreds of homes and other structures were destroyed, and thousands of people were evacuated. 23 firefighters lost their lives. The American taxpayers spent in excess of $1.5 billion containing 2002’s record setting blazes. Rural economies that rely on tourism suffered significant financial losses. Congress is now addressing the forest health issue through The Healthy Forests Restoration Act. The premise of the debate is simple and clear: Given the massive scale of the threat that catastrophic wildfire and disease and insect infestation pose to the health of pristine forest ecosystems, threatened and endangered species, air quality, water quality and the safety of thousands of communities, something needs to be done! Please take the time NOW to send an e-mail to your Member of Congress and share your concerns over the health of our nation’s forests. HERE IS WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY IN YOUR MESSAGE: (See easy way below) Support the Healthy Forests Restoration Act! I urge you to support the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. This is important to me because I am concerned about the risk of catastrophic wildfires as well as the spread of insects and diseases associated with current conditions on public and some private forestlands. These threats place at risk important wildlife habitat, critical watershed, rural communities and private range and forestlands. This important legislation is necessary to protect forests, wildlife habitat, watersheds, air quality, water quality, homes, communities, human lives, and private lands. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act will enable land management agencies to make environmentally sound, scientifically-based decisions on projects that seek to reduce the threats from catastrophic wildfire, insect infestations and disease, by giving them the tools they need to implement the goals laid out in the National Fire Plan and Healthy Forests Initiative. Thank you for your support to protect our forests, wildlife, watersheds and communities. Make this easy on yourself. Just click on: www.landsense.us You can send the above message with a couple of clicks of your mouse. It must be done quickly. If you want to change the message, it is set up to do that. TAKE ACTION TODAY!! SAVE OUR FORESTS WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN TODAY!! PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE WIDELY. -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.