    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [September 12, 2002]
    [Pages 1579-1580]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Proposed Legislation To Implement the Healthy Forests
    Initiative
    September 12, 2002

        Just 3 weeks ago, I visited Oregon to see firsthand the devastating
    effects of the catastrophic wildfires that have burned more than 6
    million acres of forests across the West this summer. I also announced a
    new and commonsense initiative to restore forest health and prevent
    these unnaturally severe fires. I directed Secretaries Veneman and Norton to work with
    Congress to develop legislation to address the crisis in forest and
    rangeland health that has put more than 190 million acres of public
    land--an area twice the size of California--at risk of catastrophic
    fires. We

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    have a simple choice: We can act now to protect these forests, or we can
    stand by and watch them burn. Secretaries Norton and Veneman delivered
    to Congress a legislative package that meets our responsibility to
    reduce fire risks quickly in high-priority areas, and I am very pleased
    that this proposal was introduced in the House of Representatives today.
    There is bipartisan agreement that public lands of the West are
    desperately in need of active management efforts to restore forest and
    rangeland health. I call upon Congress to act upon this urgent priority
    as quickly as possible.