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One is prolonged drought in the Western United States. The pe- 

 riod of 1985 to 1995 has been the driest 10-year period in the past 

 50 years. In fact, 1996 has been at least as dry. Arizona, for exam- 

 ple, had its second driest year in recorded history in 1996. In spite 

 of the heavy snow packs we experienced earlier this year, the 

 spring and summer have been extremely dry, and that has in fact 

 exacerbated the forest situation. 



Exclusion of low-intensity fire from fire adapted ecosystems is 

 also a contributing factor, and the panelists before us did an excel- 

 lent job of explaining the effects of fire exclusion policies of the 

 past. While these were well-intentioned policies, as a result we do 

 in fact have overstocked drought-susceptible, stagnated forests in 

 many parts of the West. 



Stressed timber stands are particularly susceptible, as you know, 

 to insect and disease infestations, which in turn lead to elevated 

 levels of tree mortality. 



And accelerated development in the wildland/urban interface, 

 particularly in States like California, greatly complicates all as- 

 pects of fire management. 



The factors working in concert have produced forests that are 

 measurably more susceptible to catastrophic wildfire than we've 

 seen in some time. 



The Clinton Administration is responding to the increased inci- 

 dence of catastrophic fire in a number of ways, and let me address 

 the issue of forest health before turning to what we're doing to im- 

 prove what I consider to be already the most outstanding firefight- 

 ing organization in the world. 



Forest ecosystem disturbance, be it through fire, insects and dis- 

 ease or other change mechanisms, is inevitable. We can better 

 manage forest resources by accepting the reality that biological 

 communities are in effect constantly changing and by managing 

 forests to better mimic the changes that would naturally occur over 

 time. 



In fire-adapted forests of the West we must reduce stand den- 

 sities by thinning from below, we must reintroduce periodic low-in- 

 tensity fire, and extend the rotation age of timber stands to pro- 

 mote a more fire-tolerant stand structure, as it was illustrated by 

 the panelists that preceded us. It is not a case of doing one thing 

 or another, but rather selecting the best combination of measures 

 that will accomplish the best result. 



At an operational level the Forest Service is developing programs 

 to mitigate the effects of fire exclusion through an expanded fuels 

 treatment program. This program consists principally of prescribed 

 fire and mechanical treatments. In fact, we have quadrupled our 

 fuel treatment budget since 1987, an indication of our commitment 

 to reintroduce fire into fire- adapted ecosystems. The long-term 

 benefit of this fuels management effort should be reduced fire-sup- 

 pression costs, fewer catastrophic wildfires, and reduced loss of life 

 and property. 



Thinning and salvage sales are additional tools that can be used 

 to enhance forest health where site-specific conditions warrant. 

 Both operations can be used to reduce the density of overstocked 

 forests, help to remove dead and dying trees, reduce fuels that pose 

 a fire hazard, reduce susceptibility to insects or diseases, and in- 



