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Recognizing that more must be done to stop the beetle kill in the Rocky Mountain Region, recently, Rep. Scott Tipton (CO-03) and Rep. Kristi Noem (SD-06) sent a letter, signed by ten members of Congress, to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that he redirect unused Forest Service funds toward mitigating the bark beetle epidemic. The letter was signed by six members of the Colorado delegation.
The letter did not call for any new funds, but asked any existing unused Forest Service funds from the FY2010 budget be reallocated to carry out additional critical hazard mitigation activities in the region.
Since the outbreak in 1996, the bark beetle epidemic has severely damaged forests in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. In total it has destroyed or damaged over 41 million acres of pine forests, including 2.9 million acres in Colorado. The epidemic has affected many miles of roads, paths and trails, created a severe fire hazard, and put essential water supplies at risk.
The letter stated, “Healthy forests are important to the livelihood of millions of people in the West and critical to economic recovery. The forests are a source of a reliable water supply, tourism, energy generation, and recreation for the region. Swift action is essential in the face of threats to public safety and critical infrastructure.”
“People’s lives and livelihoods are at risk because of the damage that has been inflicted by the bark beetle,” Tipton said. “We have been losing the fight in the Rocky Mountain Region, and we bear the scars in our district. We must do more to stop the epidemic.”
Tipton has reached out to the Forest Service and scheduled a meeting for next week with Forest Service Chief, Tom Tidwell, to discuss bark beetle mitigation moving forward.
Recognizing that more must be done to stop the beetle kill in the Rocky Mountain Region, recently, Rep. Scott Tipton (CO-03) and Rep. Kristi Noem (SD-06) sent a letter, signed by ten members of Congress, to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that he redirect unused Forest Service funds toward mitigating the bark beetle epidemic. The letter was signed by six members of the Colorado delegation.
The letter did not call for any new funds, but asked any existing unused Forest Service funds from the FY2010 budget be reallocated to carry out additional critical hazard mitigation activities in the region.
Since the outbreak in 1996, the bark beetle epidemic has severely damaged forests in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. In total it has destroyed or damaged over 41 million acres of pine forests, including 2.9 million acres in Colorado. The epidemic has affected many miles of roads, paths and trails, created a severe fire hazard, and put essential water supplies at risk.
The letter stated, “Healthy forests are important to the livelihood of millions of people in the West and critical to economic recovery. The forests are a source of a reliable water supply, tourism, energy generation, and recreation for the region. Swift action is essential in the face of threats to public safety and critical infrastructure.”
“People’s lives and livelihoods are at risk because of the damage that has been inflicted by the bark beetle,” Tipton said. “We have been losing the fight in the Rocky Mountain Region, and we bear the scars in our district. We must do more to stop the epidemic.”
Tipton has reached out to the Forest Service and scheduled a meeting for next week with Forest Service Chief, Tom Tidwell, to discuss bark beetle mitigation moving forward.
