| The Act to Save America's Forests 2008
WHAT IS THE ACT TO SAVE AMERICA'S FORESTS?
The Act to Save America's Forests is a bill in the United States Congress.
The Act to Save America's Forests is the largest, most comprehensive forest protection and restoration legislation ever considered by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
The main section of the bill primarily affects how the U.S. Forest Service manages the 190 million acres of our national forest system. It will stop the U.S. Forest Service from using destructive forms of logging, such as clearcutting, and will prevent the Forest Service from logging ecologically important forest areas such as Ancient forests and roadless forests.
The Act to Save America's Forests will:
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Stop clearcutting in our national forests
- Require the Forest Service to protect and restore the biological diversity of the natural forest ecosystems in our national forests
- Prevent logging in the last Ancient and roadless forests throughout our national forest system
- Transfer the Giant Sequoia National Monument to the National Park Service
- Require the National Park Service to undertake a comprehensive national study for potential new national parks
BACKGROUND:
The Act to Save America's Forests was first introduced in the U.S. Congress in 1996. The Act will end clearcutting on federal lands. Logging will be banned in the last core areas of forest biodiversity: Ancient Forests, roadless areas, riparian zones, and over 100 other specially named forest areas throughout the national forest system. The forests not part of the protected core areas will be restored with their original native biodiversity through active and passive measures. A strictly limited amount of ecologically compatible logging will be allowed outside of the core areas.
In 2006, a section was added to the Act to Save America's Forests that would transfer the Giant Sequoia National Monument to the National Park Service.
In 2008, a section is being added to the legislation that calls for a comprehensive new study of the ecological regions of the United States by the National Park Service and recommendations for potential new national parks, based on the EPA Level III Ecoregion Map of the United States. The resulting study will be reported to the U.S. Congress.
The Act is endorsed by over 600 eminent scientists, including E.O. Wilson, Stuart Pimm, Peter Raven, and Jane Goodall. In the year 2000, nearly one-fourth of the members of Congress cosponsored the bill, 135 Representatives and 6 Senators.
Passing the Act to Save America's Forests will restore our national Forests into biologically diverse natural forests. The Forest Service will be transformed into the world's largest forest ecosystem protection and restoration organization. This will be a beacon to the world, setting an entirely new standard of what is possible in protecting and restoring ecosystems.
The Act will be re-introduced in the U.S. Congress in the summer of 2008.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACT TO SAVE AMERICA'S FORESTS
(Please Be Patient While the PDF Files Below Download Onto Your Computer
- It Can Take A Minute Or More For Each File)
- Introduction Sheet with Short summary of the Act to Save America's Forests - pdf
- Longer Section-by-Section Summary of the Act to Save America's Forests - (coming soon)
- Dear Colleague -May 2008 - Congressional letter from Representative Anna Eshoo and Representative Carolyn Maloney to other membes of the House of Representatives announcing the pending re-introduction of the Act to Save America's Forests in the summer of 2008 and inviting other representatives in Congress to cosponsor the Act
- Scientists Endorsement Letter signed by over 600 scientists endorsing the Act to Save America's Forests, including world famous scientists Jane Goodall and E.O. Wilson
- Senate letter signed by Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry endorsing the Act to Save America's Forests - pdf
- List of Congressional co-sponsors of the Act to Save America's Forests in 2008 -current list - the 110th Congress (coming soon)
- List of Congressional co-sponsors of the Act to Save America's Forests from 2000 - the 106th Congress: House of Representatives: 135 Representatives Senate: 6 Senators-pdf
- EPA ECOREGION MAP of the United States - The Environmental Protection Agency EPA Level III Ecoregion Map is to be referred to by the National Park Service as the basis for the new Park Study - pdf
- List of EPA Level III Ecoregions with no large national park or wilderness within ecoregion, leaving that ecoregion with no large protected natural area and at risk of permanent loss of native biodiversity and ecosystems
- Press Conference in the United States Senate with Dr. Jane Goodall and Senator Jon Corzine for the introduction of the Act to Save America's Forests in 2003 - TRANSCRIPT- STREAMING VIDEO - Jane Goodall Speech in the U.S. Senate
- 2003 - Senator Jon Corzine Statement on his introduction of the Act to Save America's Forests
READ THE ACTUAL BILL -
TEXT OF THE ACT TO SAVE AMERICA'S FORESTS:
- YOU - can make an important difference in achieving the goal of transforming this historic environmental legislation into the law of United States, and saving our forests!
Contact your 1 Representative and 2 Senators -
Please urge them to Cosponsor and Pass the Act to Save America's Forests.
THE INSTANT LETTER TO CONGRESS FEATURE WILL
BE RETURNING SOON |
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Information on Giant Sequoia National Monument (coming soon)
Save America's Forests
POWER IN CONGRESS
SEE PHOTO GALLERY
Of Save America's Forests In Meetings With
Members Of The U.S. Congress And Others In D.C.
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Save America's Forests Director Carl Ross
And Board Member Martin Litton Discuss Forest Issues With
Senator Barack Obama
Click Here For More Congressional Photos
Since 1989, Save America's Forests has been bringing the nationwide campaign for forest protection to the halls of the U.S. Congress.
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