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Western National Forests: Nearby Communities Are Increasingly Threatened By Catastrophic Wildfires

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Feb. 9, 1999
Report No. T-RCED-99-79
Subject
Summary:

About 60 percent of all national forests managed by the Forest Service are found in the dry, inland portion of the Western United States. Historically, the tree stands in many forests of the interior West developed distinctive characteristics to cope with frequent low-intensity fires and little rainfall, which slows the decomposition of dead and downed trees. However, human activities during the last century and a half have introduced changes in the structure and composition of these tree stands. These changes have raised concerns about the resulting potential for more large, intense wildfires on national forests and about the threats that they may pose. This testimony discusses (1) the extent and the seriousness of threats posed by national forest wildfires to nearby communities in the interior West, (2) agency efforts to address them, and (3) barriers to successfully implementing these efforts.

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