Vision and Goals

Goals (continued)

• Restore fire-resilient stands and protect communities at risk from uncharacteristic wildfire.

President Bush signed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act in December 2003. The Forests Restoration Act (sometimes referenced as the HFRA) contains a variety of provisions to reduce hazardous fuels on National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands. The goal of the Act is to protect communities, watersheds, and at-risk forest and range lands from catastrophic wildfire.

The Act directs the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to maximize retention of larger trees in areas other than old-growth stands, consistent with the objective of restoring fire-resilient stands and protecting ‘at-risk’ communities and Federal lands.

• Identify, designate, and protect areas of critical environmental concern.

The Federal Land and Policy Management Act requires BLM to prepare and maintain, on a continuing basis, an inventory of all public lands and their resources and other values…giving priority to areas of critical environmental concern. It further states that in the development and revision of land use plans, the Secretary shall give priority to the designation and protection of areas of critical environmental concern. (Sec. 201 [43 U.S.C. 1711] and Sec. 202 [43 U.S.C.1712].)

• Protect public lands and their resources from mineral entry uses.

Section 204 of FLPMA authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw public lands from operation of public land and mineral laws to avoid irreparable damage that may be caused by nondiscretionary activities.