JoseCuervo
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New Research Shows Idaho Land Managers Lag in Fire Preparedness
Contact:
Joe Fox, retired Idaho Smokejumper, 208.634.2635
Keith Ashdown, Taxpayers for Common Sense, 202.546.8500 ext. 110
Jonathan Oppenheimer, Idaho Conservation League, 208.882.1010
BOISE As summer temperatures usher in a new fire season, federal land managers are still using outdated fire plans that ignore the latest "best science," potentially waste money and promote unhealthy forests, government watchdogs reported today.
"Taxpayers spent $650 million fighting wildfire in Idaho in the last decade," said Keith Ashdown, Vice President of Taxpayers for Common Sense. "In return, the public rightfully asks land managers to have local plans for maximum flexibility. This report indicates government agencies fail to meet this responsibility."
The study examined Idaho lands managed by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service, encompassing over 32 million acres or 60 percent of Idaho. The report focused on required fire management plans, which direct fire suppression, prescribed burning, wildland fire use and fuels reduction projects on federal lands.
It overwhelmingly found that Idaho's land managers rely on antiquated plans. Of 13 plans studied, only two fully complied with new policies established after the busy 1994 fire season.
"Land managers are handcuffed by out-dated fire plans that essentially dictate all fires be snuffed, all the time, regardless of potential costs and benefits," said Jonathan Oppenheimer, North Idaho Associate for the Idaho Conservation League and the report's lead author.
"Too many land managers still have a one-size-fits-all policy for every fire in Idaho," said Joe Fox, a retired Smokejumper from McCall. "Instead, we badly need specific fire management plans for specific places. We need to continue to fight fires in areas where private property and lives are at stake, while conducting ground-level monitoring on remote fires in rugged areas. Otherwise, we'll waste money and needlessly put firefighters' lives at risk."
In Idaho, the Craters of the Moon National Monument, and the Clearwater National Forest are the only non-wilderness areas where managers have broad flexibility in deciding how to manage fires. All other forests and BLM districts have limited, out-of-date fire policies.
Last year, the BLM and Forest Service spent a record-breaking $1.7 billion nationwide to suppress fires. In the past decade, federal wildland fire fighting costs exceeded $650 million in Idaho alone.
The report also examined effectiveness of planned burning programs around the state. Planned burns can enhance wildlife habitat - such as browse for elk - and reduce odds of larger fires later. The report found that, for years that data were available, the Forest Service burned 72% of the acres they planned to burn, whereas the BLM burned only 16% of targeted acreage.
Idaho Statesman's spin on the same topic....
Contact:
Joe Fox, retired Idaho Smokejumper, 208.634.2635
Keith Ashdown, Taxpayers for Common Sense, 202.546.8500 ext. 110
Jonathan Oppenheimer, Idaho Conservation League, 208.882.1010
BOISE As summer temperatures usher in a new fire season, federal land managers are still using outdated fire plans that ignore the latest "best science," potentially waste money and promote unhealthy forests, government watchdogs reported today.
"Taxpayers spent $650 million fighting wildfire in Idaho in the last decade," said Keith Ashdown, Vice President of Taxpayers for Common Sense. "In return, the public rightfully asks land managers to have local plans for maximum flexibility. This report indicates government agencies fail to meet this responsibility."
The study examined Idaho lands managed by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service, encompassing over 32 million acres or 60 percent of Idaho. The report focused on required fire management plans, which direct fire suppression, prescribed burning, wildland fire use and fuels reduction projects on federal lands.
It overwhelmingly found that Idaho's land managers rely on antiquated plans. Of 13 plans studied, only two fully complied with new policies established after the busy 1994 fire season.
"Land managers are handcuffed by out-dated fire plans that essentially dictate all fires be snuffed, all the time, regardless of potential costs and benefits," said Jonathan Oppenheimer, North Idaho Associate for the Idaho Conservation League and the report's lead author.
"Too many land managers still have a one-size-fits-all policy for every fire in Idaho," said Joe Fox, a retired Smokejumper from McCall. "Instead, we badly need specific fire management plans for specific places. We need to continue to fight fires in areas where private property and lives are at stake, while conducting ground-level monitoring on remote fires in rugged areas. Otherwise, we'll waste money and needlessly put firefighters' lives at risk."
In Idaho, the Craters of the Moon National Monument, and the Clearwater National Forest are the only non-wilderness areas where managers have broad flexibility in deciding how to manage fires. All other forests and BLM districts have limited, out-of-date fire policies.
Last year, the BLM and Forest Service spent a record-breaking $1.7 billion nationwide to suppress fires. In the past decade, federal wildland fire fighting costs exceeded $650 million in Idaho alone.
The report also examined effectiveness of planned burning programs around the state. Planned burns can enhance wildlife habitat - such as browse for elk - and reduce odds of larger fires later. The report found that, for years that data were available, the Forest Service burned 72% of the acres they planned to burn, whereas the BLM burned only 16% of targeted acreage.
Idaho Statesman's spin on the same topic....
