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Western National Forests: Catastrophic Wildfires Threaten Resources and Communities

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Sept. 28, 1998
Report No. T-RCED-98-273
Subject
Summary:

About 60 percent of the 155 national forests and about 70 percent of the 192 million acres managed by the Forest Service are found in the dry, inland portion of the western United States. The composition and structure of tree stands in this region differ from those in other parts of the country. Historically, frequent, low-intensity wildfires played a key role in determining the dispersion and succession of tree stands in the interior West. Lack of rainfall also slows the decomposition of dead and downed trees. As early as the mid-19th century, human activity began to affect the region's ecology, introducing changes that gradually weakened the health of national forests in the interior West. This testimony discusses (1) the extent and seriousness of forest health problems in national forests in the interior West, (2) the status of the Forest Service's efforts to address the most serious of these problems, and (3) the barriers to successfully implementing the agency's efforts.

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