Speech

Forest Management Conference

Remarks of Governor Judy Martz
Fairmont
7/8/2004

**Check Against Delivery**

Thank you for the introduction and good afternoon. I appreciate the opportunity to join you today to share my vision for the timber industry in the United States.

Before I begin I have to introduce Todd O’Hair, my natural resources policy advisory. Todd has bee a driving force in making sure that the timber industry survives in the West.

I also want to thank Ellen Engstedt, Bob Harrington, Julie Altimus, Gordie Sanders, Mike Oliver and Tim Hancock for their hard work on not only the healthy forest report card, which you will hear more about from Bob, but also for their tremendous efforts on behalf of Montana’s timber industry.

Thanks to each of you and to every person in this room.

The world is run by those who participate, and your active leadership along with the involvement of everyone here today ensures that the voice of the timber industry will continue to be strong.

That is why the “The Montana Healthy Forests Healthy Communities Report Card” is so very important. Not only does it continue the participation that makes this group so strong, it also shows the responsible leadership of timber advocates.

The idea of assigning grades to how well the intent of the Healthy Forest Initiative is being met in Montana reflects the kinds of self-imposed accountability that makes Montana strong.

A detailed assessment and explanation will yield tremendous results. I don’t have to tell you that improvements are rarely made without pointing out weaknesses.

I think it will also help with the identification of areas where more resources or personnel are needed.

By standing up and being accountable, people are more likely to support you.

I support you because there is something so very special, so very unique about our way of life here in Pacific Northwest.

Sometimes we don’t look often enough within ourselves to understand our uniqueness, and few really appreciate it.

But our uniqueness comes from our people and communities - communities whose core values are as deeply embedded as their determination and their pride.

Unfortunately, our very way of life can be so profoundly changed by heavy-handed, top-down tactics that affect our smallest and most fragile communities in the most enormous ways.

Make no mistake. Everyone indeed desires to protect our public lands and scenic vistas. Our lands are the fabric of our very way of life. But, in that same regard, we ought to be the driving force behind our land management solutions.

Last year, we held a Western Governors timber summit in Missoula. We brought together all stakeholders to address critical forest management issues on state and federal lands. I know some of you were in Missoula and I want to thank you for your participation.

We talked about issues ranging from forest health, reducing catastrophic fire hazards, producing valuable wood products, and improving forest employment opportunities while protecting water quality, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.

What we learned is that there is common ground, and that there is opportunity for advancement. We proved we can move forward and we can make a difference. With these opportunities we can work to sustain and create jobs in our timber areas for families who have lived through the devastating effects of mill closures and endless lawsuits against timber sales.

But we can also work to make sure that other families are not subject to the worsening effects of drought and catastrophic forest fires. Each of us has a charge to lead in restoring the health of our land by the timely removal of dead and burned timber.

I learned that first-hand when, in Montana, we generated over five million dollars for schools from sales on the 2000 fires.

I also learned something about the federal process for environmental review on federal forestlands after those same 2000 Bitterroot Fires.

These documents represent 15,000 person days or the equivalent of 57 MAN-YEARS of work. That’s right – had one individual created the documents, it would have taken him or her 57 years of full-time work to complete the job.

Keep this in mind - 57 man-years of work were completed, and over one million dollars were spent for what ended up to be a mere 15,000 acres out of 300,000 acres of burned, dead timber. And – after all that work – the federal government still ended up in court.

The federal review was completed well after the State of Montana had already implemented active management efforts to restore the health of our state lands in the same area by the timely removal of burned timber. That’s because of the special efforts of DNRC Director Bud Clinch. Thanks Bud.

While the federal government was spending one million dollars to fight off inevitable lawsuits… Montana generated over FIVE million dollars for schools from sales on the 2000 Bitterroot fires.

You want to talk about improving the economy of the West? Show me loggers at work, mills at full capacity, and loaded trucks and I’ll show you a stronger economy… AND a healthier forest. From that experience I knew we had to be engaged at the federal level.

I testified three times before Congress about the importance of healthy forest management practices, and my message was always this: it's time to stop tying the hands of forest professionals like yourselves and start letting you do the job you were trained to do and do so well. In Montana and across the North West, that's just plain common sense.

Many are beginning to see that responsible timber management is key to not only our economic future, but also our environmental future. Our national forests are national treasures - they need to be cared for. We do great work on state lands and there’s no reason our federal lands shouldn’t enjoy the same stewardship. That lack of stewardship is forcing Montanans to watch our forests suffer. We’re watching our livelihoods, our recreation and our communities slip away. We feel urgency, and even despair.

We must, however, turn that despair into action – turn our challenges into opportunities – and take a proactive approach to addressing forest management issues.

I know I’m not here with a new concept. The time is now to look outside the box to implement new solutions to old problems. We can have exceptional water quality, abundant wildlife, flourishing fisheries and a host of other benefits, including economic opportunity through thoughtful forest management.

We all care about the environment. And if you do your work responsibly, your children and grandchildren can care as well, because timber is a replenishing resource. Some people seem to forget that.

Forest health is not about clear cuts. It’s about active management of our lands by those who are professionals with years of on the ground experience and dirt under their fingernails. I think we must acknowledge that sensible hands-on management of forest lands including the responsible harvesting of timber is appropriate action.

Preventing responsible harvesting of timber for our nations fiber needs does not mean we consume fewer wood products. Instead, it does mean we must go to other countries and properties to meet our needs. This country must ask itself how comfortable it is with the regulatory laws of developing nations that do not have any environmental protections in place.

This country should ask if an “Out of sight, out of mind” policy is one that this nation should pursue. But let me be clear, while we should not endeavor to become the sole provider of timber products, neither should we attempt to be the sole provider of untouched recreational lands. Somewhere in-between is the best fit. And I believe that is all you ask.

Some forget that our country is a federation of states. And within that federation of states comes the lifeblood of our nation. It is the hard working people of the states that have allowed this nation to prosper, to enjoy a standard of living unsurpassed in the world. But it goes far beyond economics. It goes to the very issue of public safety.

It is critical to the health of our forests and the safety of our residents that we remove burned timber and manage our green forests on public lands.

We in the West enjoy summers consisting of fantastic weather, world-class recreation and the some of the most pristine scenery on the planet.

There is another characteristic of summer that we share that isn’t as refreshing. Each summer brings the possibility of destructive wildfire.
As Westerners, it is our responsibility to protect our homes, and our forests.

We will attempt to make sure that streams aren’t choked with mud from eroding hillsides that have been denied a tree’s root structure.

We will also examine how an old-growth forest that has been properly managed will be better equipped to resist fire temperatures over two thousand degrees, and winds like a tornado.

We’re on the right track, and together we truly can bring common sense back to government. It will ensure the government is an active partner in promoting forest safety. It will encourage discussion of new forest management techniques and the latest environmental protection advancements.

This conference is truly about the future, not about the past. I look forward to continuing this dialogue and starting new work.

As Westerners, one thing we all share is a common bond in this land. It is home. It is where we can and should be able to provide ourselves with sustenance, both in terms of financial stability and spiritual stability.
From all points of view and values, we must work together to create AND maintain healthy forests and vibrant economies. That is why this conference is so appropriate.

It is a conference designed to discuss the future of our forests and what role forests should play in provide this nations’ wood product needs…this nations’ premier recreation destinations…and this nations’ unmatched environment.

My goal is to find balance: a healthy, protected forest enhanced by a strong timber economy. I further envision a time when our Western summers bring nothing but recreation and our forests remain pristine treasures; untouched by the wildfire we see next time.

I will continue to work on behalf of all forest managers in Montana to make sure that this issue remains top of mind for all elected officials.
And I will continue to fight for solid implementation of the Healthy Forest Initiative and other land management reforms now that we have a law signed by the President that brings common sense back into the management of our forests, a stronger economy for Montana, the Pacific Northwest and the United States and health to our public lands.

We’re on the right track, and together we truly can bring common sense back to government.

Thank you, good afternoon, and God Bless America

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