Sierra In Peril; Sf 223

Right right. She was pushing and I think we pretty much dressed to dress. You know this is going on. Sure. Larger than any kind of history. Because Beatles John process factoring in a natural state in density. Well I think. And I'm not a forced into model just but my understanding of. These systems is Beatles like other insects and certain diseases are a natural part of the system. But what happens is over time. Certain events certain things can happen that

tend to lead to epidemic outbreaks of things like mountain pine beetle. And I think that's part of what we see in the whole area and that can be in part be attributed to again the exclusion of fire. We've done a very effective job in keeping fire to what our fire prone ecosystems and now I think we're seeing the results. It can be a result of drought and certainly drought as it has had a big impact in the West and it could be a result of the changes in those ecosystems that occurred as a result of the exclusion of fire and and and management practices that occurred 50 60 70 years ago that were just wrong. That we're not scientifically sound that were simply intended to to produce timber and not really reflective of what we would consider good management today. When those factors add up we can get an outbreak as we've seen with mountain pine beetle and we feel we can do something to mitigate the effects as a byproduct produce timber that can benefit communities and can produce jobs and in so doing also

help improve the health of that ecosystem and that's how we want to use a forestry issue as a means to achieve those goals. So thank you. All right. Is there any way around. Well it's difficult for me to comment on the future of the timber should the industry should should should do then I think we see the timorous trees playing an important role in helping us manage the nation's forests now that might scare some people hear me say that. But the reality is we have to maintain some capacity some demand for the timber otherwise when we see a situation such as we see in the Tom home area where we have extensive dead material for mountain pine beetle if there's no market for it then we're not going to have to pay a lot of money to get it out of there and realize no return. That's not to say that every. Timber sale generates revenues but it is to say that. Tim brink can you help us. And also serves as a source of

income employment and so you know we want to work with the industry to maintain that capacity to work cooperatively to try and improve forest health. The very end when you have people with the hopeful signs of the hopeful signs very honest very hope than anything else upside to what's going on right now with this transition. Well I think the upside is that we're trying to return to our scientific management. We're trying to manage forest ecosystems as opposed to each part as if it existed independently of the other. We've come to a point where we now understand what we were directed to do three decades ago in the multiple you sustain you know that we now have the tools and technology to manage for multiple use. That's a very hopeful sign.

What's critically important is that we regain the public trust that I think has been lost in recent decades and the belief that we can be good stewards of the nation's forest lands. We can improve the health of forest ecosystems and we can ensure the sustainability of of all goods and services that the national forest provides for us and for future generations. We have the capability to do that. We need the public trust and we need to work with the people who own those lands to ensure we're doing what they want us to do. Thank you. I didn't know. There. Was. Plenty of time. Yes it was.