Western National Forests. A Cohesive Strategy is Needed to Address Catastrophic211 Wildfire Threats

摘要

National forests of the dry, interior portion of the western United States that211u001eare managed by the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service have undergone 211u001esignificant changes over the last century and a half, becoming much denser, with 211u001efewer large trees and many more small, tightly spaced trees and underbrush. These 211u001echanges have raised concerns about the current health of these forests and their 211u001econtinued ability to provide for sustained levels of uses, including timber and 211u001ewildlife habitat, by future generations of Americans, as required by law. In 211u001eresponse to a request from the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, House 211u001eCommittee on Resources, GAO examined issues related to the health of these 211u001eforests. In this report, GAO discusses (1) the extent and seriousness of forest-211u001ehealth-related problems on national forests of the interior West, (2) the status 211u001eof efforts by the Forest Service to address the most serious of these problems, 211u001eand (3) barriers to successfully addressing these problems and options for 211u001eovercoming them.