    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [December 3, 2003]
    [Pages 1669-1671]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
    December 3, 2003

        Thanks for coming. Thanks for finally inviting me to the Department
    of Agriculture. [Laughter] It's an honor to be here. I'm really glad to
    be here as our Government takes a major step forward in protecting
    America's forests.
        Almost 750 million acres of forest stand tall and beautiful across
    the 50 States. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our
    forests. That's a solemn responsibility. And the legislation I sign
    today carries forward this ethic of stewardship. With the Healthy Forest
    Restoration Act, we will help to prevent catastrophic wildfires; we'll
    help save lives and property; and we'll help protect our forests from
    sudden and needless destruction.
        I appreciate so very much Secretaries Veneman and Norton for working hard on
    this issue. These two members of my Cabinet are doing a great job, and
    I'm proud that they're in my Cabinet. I want to thank Mark Rey. I also want to thank Dale Bosworth, who is the Chief of the Forest Service. From the
    Interior Department, I want to thank Rebecca Watson and Lynn Scarlett for their
    hard work and their good work for these important issues. I want to
    thank the officials and employees of the Department of Agriculture and
    the Department of Interior for doing a great job on behalf of the
    American citizens. Thank you for your dedication and your work on behalf
    of all of us.
        I appreciate the Hotshot team members from the great State of
    California. These are the folks in the yellow shirts. I spent some time
    with the Hotshot members as a--this summer in California, last summer in
    Arizona, a time in Oregon, Washington State. These are brave, brave
    citizens. These are fantastic citizens in the country. We're proud to be
    standing with them up here.
        I appreciate the Members of Congress who have joined us, strong
    Members who brought some common sense to what had been an acrimonious
    debate, who listened to the people--[applause]--Members who listen to
    the people, who know what they're talking about, and came up with a good
    piece of legislation, starting with Senator Thad Cochran, who's the chairman of the Committee of Agriculture,
    Nutrition, and Forestry. Thad has done a fabulous job of getting this
    bill out of the United States Senate, along with Max Baucus and Mike Crapo--Baucus being
    of--from Montana and Crapo being from Idaho, great Members of the
    Senate, and thank you all for coming. I appreciate your coming. We have
    two other Members of the Senate with us here. From the West, Kyl and Smith--Gordon Smith from
    Oregon. I appreciate you two coming.
        From the House, onstage are three Members: the chairman of the
    Committee of Agriculture, Bob Goodlatte, from
    the great State of Virginia; Scott McInnis,
    who is the sponsor of the Healthy Forest bill--[applause]--McInnis is
    having a family reunion in Washington. [Laughter] Richard

    [[Page 1670]]

    Pombo is the chairman of the Committee on
    Resources. We've got Greg Walden and Sherry
    Boehlert. We've got the finest fighter
    pilot in Navy history with us, Duke Cunningham. We've got Renzi from Arizona.
    Thank you all for coming, fine Members, and appreciate you getting this
    bill out.
        I want to thank all the State and local officials who have come
    here. You understand the importance of getting a good piece of
    legislation out of the Congress. See, you live right there where the
    fires occur, and I want to thank you for your help, thank you for
    helping bring some common sense to Washington, DC. I appreciate the
    representatives of the conservation groups who have worked in a
    constructive way to help change the attitude inside the halls of the
    United States Congress so we can work together to get some good
    legislation out to protect our forests. I want to thank the business
    groups who are here, who spent time making sure this legislation makes
    sense.
        I understand Chuck Leavell is here, of the
    Rolling Stones. I appreciate Chuck being here. He's the keyboard player.
    And he also has--they tell me he's a tree raiser, a tree farmer,
    whatever you call them. [Laughter] Glad you're here. Thanks for coming,
    Chuck. I appreciate you being here.
        For decades, Government policies have allowed large amounts of
    underbrush and small trees to collect at the base of our forests. The
    motivations of this approach were good. But our failure to maintain the
    forests has had dangerous consequences and devastating consequences. The
    uncontrolled growth left by years of neglect chokes off nutrients from
    trees and provides a breeding ground for insects and disease.
        As we have seen this year and in other years, such policy creates
    the conditions for devastating wildfires. Today, about 190 million acres
    of forest and woodlands around the country are vulnerable to
    destruction. Overgrown brush and trees can serve as kindling, turning
    small fires into large, raging blazes that burn with such intensity that
    the trees literally explode.
        I saw that firsthand when we were flying over Oregon, magnificent
    trees just exploding as we choppered by. The resulting devastation
    damages the habitats of endangered species, causes flooding and soil
    erosion, harms air quality, oftentimes ruins water supplies. These
    catastrophic fires destroy homes and businesses. They put lives at risk,
    especially the lives of the brave men and women who are on the frontline
    of fighting these fires.
        In 2 years' time, fires throughout the country have burned nearly 11
    million acres. We've seen the cost that wildfires bring in the loss of
    28 firefighters this year alone. In the fires that burned across
    southern California this fall, 22 civilians also lost their lives as
    whole neighborhoods vanished into flames. And we ask for God's blessings
    on the family members who grieve the loss and on the friends who mourn
    for their comrades.
        We're seeing the tragic consequences brought by years of unwise
    forest policy. We face a major national challenge, and we're acting
    together to solve the challenge. The Healthy Forest Initiative I
    announced last year marked a clear and decisive change in direction.
    Instead of enduring season after season of devastating fires, my
    administration acted to remove the causes of severe wildfires. We worked
    within our existing legal authority to thin out and remove forest
    undergrowth before disaster struck. We emphasized thinning projects in
    critical areas. And since the beginning of 2002, we've restored almost 5
    million acres of overgrown forest and rangeland.
        And that's pretty good progress. But it's not enough progress. And
    so, thanks to the United States Congress, thanks to their action, and
    thanks for passing the Healthy Forest Restoration Act--we now can expand
    the work to a greater scale that the dangers of wildfires demand. In
    other

    [[Page 1671]]

    words, we were confined. The Congress acted in a bipartisan spirit in
    order to enable this administration to work harder to do what we can do
    to prevent wildfires from taking place.
        The bill expedites the environmental review process so we can move
    forward more quickly on projects that restore forests to good health. We
    don't want our intentions bogged down by regulations. We want to get
    moving. When we see a problem, this Government needs to be able to move.
    Congress wisely enabled a review process to go forward but also wisely
    recognizes sometimes the review process bogs us down and things just
    don't get done.
        The new law directs courts to consider the long-term risks that
    could result if thinning projects are delayed. And that's an important
    reform, and I want to thank you all for that. It places reasonable time
    limits on litigation after the public has had an opportunity to comment
    and a decision has been made. You see, no longer will essential forest
    health projects be delayed by lawsuits that drag on year after year
    after year.
        This act of Congress sets the right priorities for the management of
    our Nation's forests, focusing on woodlands that are closest to
    communities and on places where the risk to wildlife and the environment
    is the greatest. It enforces high standards of stewardship so that we
    can ensure that we're returning our forests to more natural conditions
    and maintaining a full range of forest types. It enables collaboration
    between community groups and private stewardship organizations and all
    levels of government before projects are chosen. This law will not
    prevent every fire, but it is an important step forward, a vital step to
    make sure we do our duty to protect our Nation's forests.
        The principles behind the Healthy Forest Initiative were not
    invented in the White House and, truthfully, not invented in the
    Congress. They are founded on the experience of scientists, forestry
    experts, and, as importantly, the firefighters who know what they're
    talking about. Chief Tom O'Keefe of the
    California Department of Forestry is among those who have seen the
    consequences of misguided forest policy. He put it this way: ``A lot of
    people have been well-intentioned. They saved trees, but they lost the
    forest.'' We want to save the forest.
        This bill was passed because Members of Congress looked at sound
    science, did the best they could to get all the politics out of the way
    for good legislation. Members from both parties came together, people
    from different regions of the country. A broad range of people who care
    about our forests were listened to, whether they be conservationists or
    resource managers, people from the South, people from the West, people
    from New York. You see, we all share duties of stewardship. And today we
    shared in an important accomplishment.
        For the good of our forests and for the good of our people, I'm
    honored to sign this important piece of legislation. I'm honored to be
    here to sign the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:40 a.m. at the U.S. Department of
    Agriculture. In his remarks, he referred to Under Secretary of
    Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    these remarks. H.R. 1904, approved December 3, was assigned Public Law
    No. 108-148.