Speech
Western States Land Commissioners
Remarks of Governor Judy Martz
Big Sky
7/14/2003
***Check Against Delivery***
Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to join you today to share my administration’s vision for the management of public lands in the West.
Before I begin, there is someone who deserves recognition. Much of what I am going to talk about comes as a result of his tireless leadership on behalf of Montana. Your host, Bud Clinch, the Director of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, is the model public servant. Thanks, Bud, for all of your work.
As some of you may know, I serve as the Chair of the Western Governors Association. My primary focus in that capacity this past year has been the issue of forest health.
I don’t have to tell this group that this highly sensitive issue is also one of the most important ones facing the West.
As I joined interested participants from 22 states and 3 countries last month in Missoula for the WGA’s Forest Health Summit, I was reminded of the incredible opportunity we are afforded as Westerners to live, work and play in this incredible corner of the globe.
There is something so very special, so very unique about our way of life here in West. Sometimes we don’t look often enough within ourselves to understand our uniqueness, and outsiders rarely appreciate it.
But our uniqueness comes from our people and our communities - communities whose core values are as deeply embedded as their determination and their pride.
Make no mistake. Most every Westerner has a vested interest and truly 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 as cautious, humble, public servants - not political opportunists - ought to be the driving force behind our land management solutions.
As a part of our goal to bring stakeholders to the table, we hosted the Forest Health Summit to address critical forest management issues on state and federal lands, while ensuring the best return for our communities.
I knew Montana was the right place for such a summit because – here in Montana – we’re doing it right.
Our administration pledged to Montana families that we would listen to all sides, and ensure the proper maintenance of our public lands.
We've taken the lead in restoring the health of our state lands by the timely removal of dead and burned timber.
We generated over five million dollars for schools from sales on the 2000 Bitterroot fires.
These timber sales have spared our lands from future fires by removing the possibility of re-ignition of dead timber. This is good for homeowners in the area, the loggers and mill owners, and most importantly, the environment.
I have testified before Congress twice about the importance of healthy forest management practices, and my message is always this: it's time to stop tying the hands of forest professionals and start letting them do the job they were trained to do.
This is not just an economic decision. It is critical to the health of our forests and the safety of our residents that we remove burned timber from public lands.
Here in Montana, that's just plain common sense.
It is with confidence in the common sense of Montanans that I met with groups in the Bitterroot to address timber management issues.
In each of your states you know that public lands are the jewel of the landscape. That is why you nurture them and ensure their safety from fire.
The same holds true with our federal lands. 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 an 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. You, as forest managers, have been preaching it for years. At the state level, as a matter of fact, our Forest Land Management Plan is based on it.
The time is now to look outside the box to implement new solutions to old problems. We must recognize that we truly can have our cake and eat it, too.
We can have exceptional water quality, abundant wildlife, flourishing fisheries and a host of other benefits, including economic opportunity through thoughtful forest management.
If each of us does our work responsibly, our children and grandchildren can be a part of the forest industry as well, because timber is a replenishing resource. Some people seem to forget that.
One message that I hope we delivered at our summit is the fact 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.
We must make necessary revisions to federal laws that are precluding our national forests from being managed appropriately.
We must have forest management plans that reflect the importance of roads to forest management and growth.
We must work together to develop strategies that work for the land and the people. These goals are not mutually exclusive.
We need a new direction.
First and foremost, we have to end detached, impractical management practices that have little connection to local needs with only a superficial interest in local participation. It doesn’t work and never will.
If we can work together – using input and advice from local, county, state and federal governments, we could bring about much healthier forests and without a doubt create some jobs in the process.
Second, we must work tirelessly to encourage greater cooperation between federal agencies and states and counties. That is what government should be about.
Third, we must work together to craft land management policies that are more reflective of local consensus.
We must provide stability and predictability to our region and local communities.
Finally, many objectives and goals of forest management cannot be accomplished without an industry that can process the wood. A healthy wood products industry is not only important for the forest, but for the communities that depend on those jobs and value-added products. Our wood products industry is ailing.
Remember, a healthy wood products industry will play an important role in producing healthy forests. Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona have seen many mills close and lack the infrastructure to process this wood material. We must act before it is too late for the rest of the West.
But, our traditional values can help us build a better nation. Let’s work together. Let’s make our voices heard. I thank you and pray that God continues to bless the hands that made Montana and this nation a better place to live.
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