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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSFAC Congress letters from Bill Wickman Sweeney, Kathleen From: Bennett, Robin Sent: Monday, March 14, 2016 11A6 AM To: Hahn, Paul; Sweeney, Kathleen Cc: Moak, Peggy; Teeter, Doug; Connelly, Bill; Lambert, Steve; Kirk, Maureen; Wahl, Larry Subject: FW: SFAC letters on Budget and WIP Attachments: SFAC Congress 3-16.pdf, SFAC WIP.pdf FYI, additional SFAC letters from Bill Wickman. �Robin Bennett, Executive Assistant to Supervisor Doug Teeter dteeter@buttecounty.net (530) 872-6304 rbenn,ett@buttecounty.net 5th District Supervisor's Office, County of Butte, Board of Supervisors, Chair 747 Elliott Road Paradise, CA 95969-3939 -----Original Message----- From: Bill Wickman [mailto:billwickman@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Monday, March 14, 2016 11:33 AM Subject: SFAC letters on Budget and WIP Attached are two current letters sent out today. One for budget support for FS and the other comments on the Watershed improvement Program. For the WIP, I am also sending a link to the report If you care to review for our comments. http://www.sierranevada.ca.gov/our-work/sierra-nevad,a-wip/regional-strategy 5 r m � Sustainable Forest Action Coalition _ 542 n Mai ., Placerville„ CR 95667 h4 �U OrgaNzation Representatives �° �N SUSTM NAfllk'....� �r` (Laurel 'Brent-dumb: (53(7)6.21 5685 q � 4 4� '4 , e�a+�d17iN I ChaY9"1ber@,eGdtlradoCount'y.org Bill Wickman: (530)263 0973 ., J billwickrnansbcglobal.net 109 Cottonwood Ct. Quincy Participating Representation from the following: March 1�, 2(ll CALIFORNIA bear Members of the California,Nevada, Oregon and Washington Congressional A.roador a Butte Delegation: Calaveras Del Norte The Sustainable Forest Action Coalition(SFAC) supports 22 counties in California, EI Dorado seven Counties in Southern Oregon, Skamania County,Washington and Western Glenn @ Humboldt Nevada. We also work with groups in Idaho. These supporters come from a large Inyo cross section of elected officials, Chambers of Commerce, Farm:bureaus,Fire Safe Lassen Councils, Timber Industry, Nater Agencies, Education and individuals who have Madera odor voiced an interest in our efforts. Nevada Placer The SFAC asks each of you to contact the House and 'Senate Interior Appropriations Plumas Subcommittees and request specific funding increases for Forest Service programs. Sacramento Each year our environment and national resources are becoming ever more scarce and Shasta e Siskiyou impacted due to budget and regulatory constraints. When considering increases for the Sierra National]Forest—Forest Products, Capital Improvement c& Maintenance—Roads, and Tehama hazardous.Fuels Reduction budgets,please keep the following facts and issues in mind. Trinity Tuolumne With each passing year of restricted budgets and regulatory constraints, the United Yuba States is losing our precious public forest lands at similar rates as we see losses of tropical rainforests. This is happening with the ever increasing losses due to wildfire. OREGON In California alone, since 2000, on Forest Service lands, 2,0717,138 acres of public Coos * Curry forest land have burned due to wildfire and only 252,295 acres—just 8 percent— have Douglas * Jackson been reforested. Many burned areas are becoming brush gilds. This is not only a Klamath tremendous impact to our forested public lands within the State,but also near and Josephine a Lake future loss of revenue potential for the nation as well as for our county schools and roads. A further impact with this type conversion is the loss of the habitat needed by NEVADA many of the states sensitive and endangered species such as the California Spotted Owl, Nye Goshawk and lusher. This impact also leads to furthers-restrictions on the remaining public forest lands as many of those acres then become the restricted habitat instead of WASHINGTON i unrestricted forest management areas. Sarrmartia Each year we see an increase in the intensity of wildfires which lead to devastating consequences to our nations watersheds and streams as well as municipal water supplies. For instance, the Oxbow Reservoir in the Rubicon Canyon is already half full with mud, silt and sand from the 2014 King Fire. We are experiencing millions if not billions of dollars of soil loss and subsequent water quantity, quality and aquatic habitat and species loss. This also leads to millions if not billions of dollars in lost state revenues tied to recreation and fishing. Loss of current and future revenues due to the total loss of old and young forest stands. These losses are compounded by litigation on our agencies efforts to capture revenues from salvage efforts and subsequent revenue to reforest these lands. The impacts not only reduces the return of revenue to our national Treasury, but also to the individual Counties who depend on this revenue for their school, roads and other public services. As a result, these same states and counties ask you to support the Secure Rural Schools program which is another drain on the national appropriations. This was a promise to these states made according to the following; On and after May 23, 1908, an amount equal to the annual average of 25 percent of all amounts received for the applicable fiscal year and each of the preceding 6 fiscal years from each national forest shall be paid, at the end of such year,by the Secretary of the Treasury to the State or Territory in which such national forest is situated, to be expended as the State or Territorial legislature may prescribe for the benefit of the public schools and public roads of the county or counties in which such national forest is situated: Provided,That when any national forest is in more than one State or Territory or county the distributive share to each from the proceeds of such forest shall be proportional to its area therein. In sales of logs,ties,poles,posts, cordwood,pulpwood, and other forest products the amounts made available for schools and roads by this section shall be based upon the stumpage value of the timber. Originally the FY 2016 Omnibus provided for a 6 percent increase in timber sale funding, and a 3.6 percent increase in hazardous fuels reduction funding. The Omnibus also directed the Forest Service to meet a 3.2 Billion Board Foot sale program focused on commercial timber products. However, the Administration proposes a flat budget for Timber Sales while requesting a big boost for Land Acquisition. The Forest Service is attempting to increase the pace and scale of ecological restoration at all levels of the Agency. SFAC is heartened by the agency's efforts to increase outputs, and it is critical that Congress supports these efforts. Currently forest plans include Allowable Sales Quantities (ASQ) of over 6 Billion Board Feet. By obtaining this ASQ through budget support as well as forest management reform our Counties and Schools can increase their 25 percent revenues and lessen the SRS support needs. Specifically, we'd ask you to support the following programs: Continue strengthening the National Forest Timber Management with a 5% increase in Forest Products,to $376 Million,an increase of$18 million. Reverse long-terra cuts in Capital Improvement&Maintenance, increasing the program by 5 percent, to $180 million. Maintain strong funding for Wildland Hazardous Fuels Reduction. All of the identified impacts to our nation, states and counties, can not be realized unless each of you work to assure adequate budgetary levels to our public land agencies. In addition, consideration must be given to legislative changes that will allow for an increase in the pace and scale of critical restoration needs. The Chief of the Forest Serviced testified that the National Forests have between 65 and 82 million acres in need of active management,with 45 million acres decimated by bark beetles in the Rocky Mountains alone. Our nation will continue to lose our resources and see environmental degradation until such time that responsible changes can be made in current regulations. Such changes would allow for the active watershed and forest management to assure that our ecosystems do not continue to burn up, but continue to produce the products and water that our State and Nation need. It is the SFAC hope and desire that we can continue to work with all of you to bring awareness as well as recommendations on budgetary needs and levels that will allow for increasing revenue to our Treasury while reducing the budgetary needs of these same agencies. Sincerely, Bill Wickman and Laurel Brent Bumb Co-Spokespersons for SFAC Sustainable Forest Action Coalition 4 542 Main St., Placerville„ CA 95667 Organization Representatives sua7n�rra�stt I � aI5T Laurel Brent-Burnb: (530)621 5885 4 q COAUi ON chamber@eldoradocounty.org Bill Wickman: (530)283 097'3 billwickman@sbcglobal.net 109 Cottonwood C1. Quincy ,t r Participating Representation from the following: March 14, 20 16 CALIFORNIA ador a Butte Jim.Branham Calaveras Executive Officer Del Norte Sierra Nevada Conservancy El Dorado Glenn a Humboldt RE: Comments on.Watershed Improvement Plan (WIP) Inyo Lassen Madera * Modoc Dear Jim: Nevada Placer The Sustainable Forest Action Coalition (SFAC)wishes to comment on the Sierra Plurmas Nevada WIP. We appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the draft. In Sacramento addition,we will be in discussions with Regional Forester, Randy Moore, on March 18, Shasta o Siskiyou 2016 in Sacramento. SFAC members will be discussing how we can work with the Sierra Region on elements of the WIP. Tehama Trinity The following comments pertain to the Draft Sierra Nevada WIP. Overall,we are in Tuolumne agreement with the draft of the WIP'baht feel that a few areas could benefit with Yuba additional discussion or clarification. Our comments are: OREGON 1. Page 3,Executive Summary,Why is the WIP necessary, first paragraph, third Geos e Curry sentence; To emphasize the current major factor in the degradation of streams,we Douglas o Jackson would suggest the fallowing be considered; "Currently the most significant Klamath degradation of our streams and meadows are a result of'the increase in catastrophic Josephine a Lake wildfire impacts and the extreme burn intensity that results fretum our unhealthy forests and watersheds and their needfor restoration." NEVADA Nye 2. Page 6, under The:key focus areas of the WIP are, We suggest adding a fourth focus area;Maintaining Existing Infrastructure. WASHINGTON Current trends within the sawmill and biomass infrastructure are still erre the decline. Skamania This is never more evident that in the large biomass facilities. In 016 we've lost 3' hioma.ss power plants, ,Delano, IAC.Fairhaven, and Buena Vista. There are 8 additional large biomass Jacilitie.s who have expiring Energy.Price contracts (Honey Lake Power Burney Forest Power, Wheelabrator, Rio Bravo-Rocklin Rio Bravo-Fresno, Ultrapower (Chinese Station), Collins Pine, and Scotia. This would lead to a loss of 219 megawatts of power Seven additional plants were idled within the last couple years with a total capacity of 121.5 megawatts ofpower It is critical to the mission of the WIP to continue to work with the Governor Air and Water Quality Boards and groups such as the Rural Counties Representatives of'California to assure that our remaining biomass facilities remain open with viable energy price contracts. Forest restoration activities and associated reduction in GHG emissions cannot be economically met without maintaining and restoring much of this capacity. 3. Page S,Assessing Restoration Needs, Public Lands Assessments, second paragraph. To soften the statement and make it more relevant to the overall tone of the WIP,we suggest changing the statement in this second sentence, "... such as timber harvesting..." More appropriate wording would be; ".... such as forest health and restoration that produce economic product, ... " 4. Page 9, list of categories where data will be gathered; On bullet three, Collaborative groups and efforts. We are not sure if this means just the CFLRA's or all collaboratives such as the Quincy Library Group, Feather River Stewardship Coalition, Sustainable Forest Action Coalition and others? 5. Page 10, Increased Investment, Federal Government: SFAC recommends a statement that recognizes the need for Federal Agencies to improve coordination and cooperation between varies regulatory agencies. An example is the current issue between the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in relation to the Westside Fire Recovery project on the Klamath. The WIP should identify that it is critical to our restoration efforts to allow the Forest Service and other agencies the authority to manage their lands. This delay by the US Fish and Wildlife Service goes directly against what the courts (Ninth Circuit in Mission Brush Decision)have emphasized. That decision emphasized that the federal land managing agencies' resource specialists are experts whose decisions are entitled to deference,particularly in scientific areas. 6. Page 12,Addressing Key Policy Issues,Air Quality and Prescribed Fire: Within this item and its discussion, it recommends that WIP partners work to educate leaders in communities,health care and recreation be educated about the benefits of prescribed fire. SFAC recommends that this same statement be added in the Wood and Biomass Utilization Issue statement. The value of and what is being lost not only impacts in-woods biomass,but urban and agricultural waste within the state. It is as important to educate about the benefits of biomass co-generation as it is for prescribed fire. 7. Page 13114, Addressing Key Policy Issues, Water Quality and Quantity: Within this element we recommend adding verbiage relative to the fact that under current forest health conditions,we are transpiring more water than historically. By implementing restoration of our forests,we can increase water quantity. There is plenty of research that shows we can increase water delivery by reducing our current over-crowded forest condition. National forests in California had a historical stand condition in 1911 where the Basal area was 70 square feet per acre and number of trees greater than 6 inches in diameter was 19 per acre. In 2013, the basal area is now 248 square feet per acre and 225 trees greater than 6 inches diameter. This increased density leads to increased competition for water, sunlight and nutrients, making these forests more susceptible to insect and disease outbreaks and increased fire risk. 8. General Key Policy Issue for consideration. As discussed in item 5 above,there is a real need to address the current issue relative to one agency having oversight over another. In addition, Agencies need to use the authority provided within the NEPA regulations to use previous decisions on like projects or objectives instead of doing a new EA or EIS for each project. There have been hundreds of NEPA documents and decisions with an objective to improve forest health while reducing the threat from catastrophic wildfire. The WIP should identify this authority within the NEPA regulations and work with the Forest Service to utilize it for increasing the pace and scale of restoration. Litigation and its effects also need to be discussed and proposed regulation change made. Currently,when discussing projects with individual Forest Supervisors and District Rangers, it is all too common to hear statements and actions that lead to reduced treatment objectives for the fear of litigation. In a recent Senate hearing with Chief Tidwell, Senator Dairies stated that there are 21 active lawsuits against timber sales on National Forests and 16 of those projects were collaborative projects. Many do not want to address this issue,but it is real and should be a part of any policy issue discussion. 9. Page 16, Project Identification and Implementation, Socio-economic Implications: SFAC recommends statements in this section which also discuss the socio-economic benefits of maintaining and increasing infrastructure to assure projects are economical and counties and communities receive the maximum revenue return from restoration. This element also increases the number of local contractors to implement the economical and revenue generating projects. When you are considering discussions on keeping or replacing forest products infrastructure, it is important to take into consideration what these jobs mean to our rural economic and social wellbeing. Forest workers and the related jobs that this infrastructure provide are all high paying jobs. Instead of trying to replace this job sector,you should consider how to increase the needed acres treated to restore, enhance and stabilize our county's natural resources and forest products infrastructure. With the emphasis on job creation that is occurring nationally,the following information should be used to emphasize the importance of this effort to revitalize and maintain this economic opportunity. When looking at forest related jobs and economics, 1 million board feet of harvest equates to 11.4 new direct and indirect jobs with an average annual wage of$43,200 per job. I am sure this is low for California, but those statistics were from Oregon Department of Forestry. Also statistics from the US Agriculture Department showed that for every$1 million invested in forestry projects 37.2 jobs were created. These are the jobs that will bring families and business back to our counties to assure our schools and hospitals are also maintained and vibrant. It are these two elements of our communities that are viewed as indicators when businesses or families and retirees want to locate to our smaller rural communities. 10. Page 19, Metrics: There is a general lack of socio-economic indicators listed in these metrics. We recommend additions of indicators such as; • Increase in School enrollment • Decrease in free school lunch program • Stabilization or increase in health and hospital services • Reduction in mental health needs and drug use 11. Items for additional consideration: Reforestation and type conversions. On Forest Service forested land type,we are losing more forest than we are able to reforest. Since the year 2000, we have burned 2,017,138 acres of public forest land and only reforested 252,295 acres or 8 percent. Much of the remaining non-reforested lands are or have converted to brushfields. This is not only a tremendous impact to our forested public lands within the State,but also near and future loss of revenue potential for the nation as well as for our county schools and roads. A further impact with this type conversion is the loss of the habitat needed by many of the states sensitive and endangered species such as the California Spotted Owl, Goshawk and Fisher. This impact also leads to further restrictions on the remaining public forest lands as many of those acres then become the restricted habitat instead of unrestricted forest management areas. If we can be of assistance with your efforts we would enjoy the opportunity to work with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Forest Service on the efforts outlined in the WIP. Sincerely, �f Bill Wickman and Laurel Brent-Bumb Representatives for the Sustainable Forest Action Coalition Cc: Steve Brink, California Forestry Association Frank Stewart, CA Fire Safe Council Travis Joseph, American Forest Resource Council