00:00Before I ask my questions, I'd like to add letters in support of Mr. Bourne's nomination
00:05into the record, as well as a statement from Senator Crapo, who has a conflict. He's,
00:12as you know, chairman of finance and is busy right now. Without objection, so ordered.
00:22I'll go ahead and start. Due to the rise of catastrophic fires across the United States,
00:27federal and state land management agencies and private forestry owners recognize the need to
00:32increase the pace and scale of hazardous fuels reductions on federal lands and cross-boundary
00:39landscapes. Mr. Bourne, what is your view of Forest Service's role on forest management tools like
00:47timber production that can prevent catastrophic wildfires? How can the Forest Service proactively
00:53manage our forest to promote wildfire resiliency?
00:58The Forest Service has, thank you, Senator, for that question and for having me here. The Forest
01:04Service has many tools available to it to manage the forests to sustain their health and diversity
01:11and productivity. And I think we should use all of them. In particular, the tools relating to
01:19timber production, which are important not only for making the forest more healthy and more resilient
01:25and fire resistant, but also for revenue to the government of the United States and therefore its
01:30people. And also to be able to use those organizations to take care of some of our trails and roads. So it's really
01:41important to produce timber. It's also important to reduce fuel accumulation where timber isn't the best way to do it,
01:48or to do it in conjunction with that. And I feel like that is something that is really well done
01:55in coordination with timber producers and other groups. And we can look, in particular, to state forestry
02:01organizations to see some of the good things that they've done.
02:04Very good. Across the western United States, the checkerboard pattern of land ownership between public, private,
02:12and tribal landowners creates confusion and limits active management of the forest.
02:18These limitations can negatively impact our national forest. How do you view these cross-boundary
02:24issues? And how can the Forest Service engage with other public and private land managers?
02:31Well, as a private landowner, I know the checkerboard nature of the west is difficult because it doesn't
02:37matter what you do on your own land in terms of noxious weeds, reduction and prevention, or in terms
02:46of fire prevention. Your neighbors need to be involved. And I think there have been some really good things that you in Congress have done over the past few years along those lines. I know there's an interesting checkerboard project for fuels reduction.
02:59in California today with Sierra Pacific Industries and possibly with other companies that is a good example of how the public and private landowners can get together to deal with fuels reduction and other methods of mitigation. And I would think we could do a lot more of that.
03:18Timber sales from national forests benefit many stakeholders by mitigating wildfires, preventing pests and disease outbreaks, and supporting the economy of local communities.
03:28Unfortunately, many mills are struggling due to fluctuations in the amount of timber from our forests and the demand for forest products. What is your view on the value of timber sales when it comes to supporting rural economies and forest management? And what can the Forest Service play in supporting mills, which is with a steady supply of timber?
03:47I've seen firsthand the problems that come with lack of timber production and the things that happen to rural communities when they lose a timber mill, a lumber mill. And I realize that it's very difficult these days to add new lumber mills to replace the old ones. One of the reasons is the cost is really high. It costs maybe $300 million to build a good, successful lumber mill. And nobody's willing to do that. And what can the cost
04:09mean is the cost is really high? It costs maybe $300 million to build a good, successful lumber mill. And nobody's willing to do that if they don't have a guarantee of production to be able to maintain their mill for a long period of time. And so while it's very important to support our rural communities by producing more timber, by selling more timber, if there's no one to buy it, if there's no one to process it, you can't, you can't have that mill. You can't build those
04:39companies. And so we need to do more than just say we're going to produce more timber. We need to encourage long term contracts with mill owners so that they have a reason to believe that they can invest $300 million in a mill and make a living out of it over the long term. We need to work with other entities, state forests, for example, and private forests to help find ways to grow our rural economies by providing them a steady supply of timber.
05:09Senator Klobuchar.
05:12Senator Klobuchar.
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