Restoring Healthy Forests

People use wood – to build homes, to make paper – and that wood needs to come from somewhere.  We can use wood from trees that are dead or dying, or from trees that are alive and healthy.  We can responsibly harvest wood here at home, abiding by environmental protections and creating jobs, or we
can get our wood from clear cuts in equatorial rainforests where the environment is far more fragile and environmental protection and labor laws are far weaker or even nonexistent. 

The Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act is a responsible, bipartisan bill that will enable – not require – federal land managers to utilize dead timber and responsibly restore the health and diversity
of our forests after a catastrophic event like a wildfire or hurricane.  It has been endorsed by organized labor, scientists, forestry professionals, firefighters, and conservation groups alike.  And according to a recent CBO estimate, it will actually save taxpayers $23 million over ten years.