As we celebrate Earth month, we're reminded how healthy resilient forest provide essential benefits like clean water, outdoor recreation and jobs. But the nation is witnessing the loss and destruction of forests at a rate never seen before.
Our forests are struggling to adapt to a 'new normal' of drought, low humidity, high winds and shortened 'cold spells.' These extremes produce dramatic tree mortality and high intensity wildfires in the West, and changing tree species composition and declining forest health in the East.
More active forest management – including harvesting dead and dying trees, reforestation and reintroducing controlled fire – will help forests adapt. Yet, the Trump administration's proposed FY20 budget includes massive cuts to key forest management programs. Adjusting for inflation, FY18 funding was 32% lower than in FY04 and the proposed cuts will reduce funding even further.
Tell Congress this Earth Month to protect our forest by rejecting these cuts and supporting increased funding for forest management!
Dear [Senator/Representative name],
We are witnessing the loss and destruction of our nation's forests at a rate never seen before. Our forests are struggling to adapt to a 'new normal' of drought, low humidity, high winds and shortened 'cold spells.' These extremes produce dramatic tree mortality and high intensity wildfires in the West, and changing tree species composition and declining forest health in the East.
More active forest management – including harvesting dead and dying trees, reforestation and reintroducing controlled fire – will help forests adapt. This requires increased federal and private investment in our forest management at a level sufficient to halt this crisis.
Yet, the Trump administration's proposed FY20 budget includes massive cuts to key forest management programs. And what's worse is that is on top of the declining investment over the past 15 years. In fact, adjusting for inflation, FY18 funding was 32% lower than in FY04 and the proposed cuts will reduce funding even further.
[Your comments]
I urge you to help restore our forests by rejecting these proposed cuts. Please stand up for our forests by supporting increased funding for the critical forest management programs that will help us protect our forests and ensure they are healthy for generations to come.
Thank you,
[Your name]
