61 



Statement of Blaine L. Cornell 



STATEMENT OF 



BLAINE L. CORNELL TO THE 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 



COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES, 



SUBCOMMITTEE OF NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS AND LANDS 



SEPTEMBER 12, 1996 



Good afternoon Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. I am pleased to have the 

 opportunity to testify about the policies of the Forest Service that affect wildfire 

 prevention and suppression. My background in this area is as follows: I have a BS 

 degree in Forest Management from the University of Idaho, I served 33 years in the 

 Forest Service in various positions on the National Forests in Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada 

 and California which included fire management as a responsibility. I have had the full 

 spectrum of fire management training and qualified for and operated in all levels of the 

 incident management system. I have been involved in the application of prescribed fire, 

 many episodes of fire suppression in the western United States, and I have been involved 

 in the pretxeatment of conifer stands for the introduction of fire. I participated for a 

 number of years in the Training of managers in advanced incident management at the 

 national level. I participated as a member of the Fire Management Policy Review Team 

 appointed to review the application of fire policies of the USDA and USDI following the 

 1988 fire season . I retired from the position of Forest Supervisor of the Stanislaus 

 National Forest in December, 1 989 and since that time have done consulting work while 

 remaining involved in forest land management issues, including wildfire and prescribed 

 fire. I am a registered professional forester in the State of California. 



Recently mounting losses to and costs of suppressing wildland fires is of great concern to 

 the nation. A number of studies have pointed out that acreage burned has accelerated 

 greatly in the decades of the 80's and 90's. The effects of fire suppression for nearly 100 

 years resulting in less frequent fires and large fuel buildups is cited as a primary reason 

 for this accelerated loss. Changes in ecosystems dependent on fire is cited as a concern. 

 A review of Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy was initiated and a report issued 

 December 18, 1995. The recommended policies stress the acceleration of fuel reduction 

 and re-introduction of fire into the ecosystems as a substantial part of reducing the 

 mounting losses to wildfire as well as to maintain the health of the fire dependent 

 ecosystems. 



The feasibility of the policy emphasis on the reintroduction of fire as a primary agent of 

 change has to be put into perspective with the ability of the organizations to achieve the 

 goals desired. Without a detailed plan and appropriations to facilitate the 

 implementation of the policy, it is difficult to assess whether or not the goals can be 

 reasonably met. However, one concern stands above most others-implementation of this 

 policy will require a high level of expertise in the Forest Service and other Federal 

 Agencies. This was clearly demonstrated in the 1988 fire situation in the Northern Rocky 

 Mountains where adherence to fire management policies was questioned and in some 



