Fire rages in California's Simi Valley.

As the wave of fires that scorched southern California smoldered, American Forests announced creation of a national fund to help communities and organizations restore tree cover to the hard-hit area, which lost more than 500,000 acres of forest. Ecological recovery is expected to take years; American Forests has set a goal of planting a million trees in the state.

The effort is part of American Forests' Wildfire ReLeaf program, a large-scale tree planting initiative started in 1999 to plant millions of trees in areas incinerated by catastrophic wildfires. With the increase in the size and intensity of wildfires comes a more urgent need to rehabilitate damaged areas to prevent further degradation of forest ecosystems. Drought conditions in many states, including California, and the effects of decades of fire suppression have given rise to hundreds of fires in the United States this year alone.

"Restoring fire-damaged forests prevents erosion on hillsides and protects waterways that provide important habitat for fish and wildlife," executive director Deborah Gangloff said. "Planting trees in these degraded forest ecosystems will prevent further damage, assist in the regeneration process, and return native tree species, such as sugar and ponderosa pines, to the forests."

Wildfire ReLeaf depends on support from individuals, businesses, agencies, and organizations to help plant native trees in forest areas that might otherwise take years to regenerate. The campaign educates people of all ages about wildfire policy, fire suppression, the increase of woody debris in our nation's forests, actions individuals can take to reduce catastrophic wildfire, and ways to educate others about the subject.

American Forests designated a fund specifically to restore California forests after an outpouring of questions and requests from California residents and people across the United States. Trees can be planted online for Wildfire ReLeaf in California at www.americanforests.org, by mail (Wildfire ReLeaf-California, c/o American Forests, P.O. Box 2000, Washington, DC 20013), or by calling 800/545-TREE. Corporate, foundation, and organization donors may call 202/955-4500, ext. 212 for more information.

9-11 family member Michael Kuo (left) poses by Prince Albert; Gangloff is at right.

With royal patronage and a host of papa-razzi in attendance, a grove of five trees rescued from the World Trade Center site in New York City and replanted near City Hall were dedicated in October as a living tribute to the victims and survivors of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

The Living Memorial Grove was sponsored by American Forests and the Living Memorial Tree Foundation, which was established under the patronage of H.S.H Prince Albert of Monaco. New York City Parks & Recreation Department and the Municipal Art Society of New York also lent support to the effort.

The Living Memorial Tree Foundation (LMTF), established in 2002 under the direction of Prince Albert, was named the principal charity benefiting from the Monte Carlo Invitational-Pro Celebrity Golf Tournament, an annual charity event hosted by the Prince. The event had been canceled the previous year in the wake of September 11th.

"On behalf of the Principality of Monaco and all the contributors to the Living Memorial Tree Foundation, I am honored to establish this significant memorial in remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives on September 11th," Prince Albert said during the dedication. The prince was educated in the United States and retains close ties here, largely on account of his American-born mother, Princess Grace.

"The Living Memorial Grove serves as a symbol of healing and hope for the future," Deborah Gangloff, executive director of American Forests, told those gathered on the rainy autumn morning. "There is no better way to honor the victims and heroes of 9-11 than by making the environment healthier for future generations." Adrian Benepe, commissioner of parks & recreation for the city, agreed, likening the city's parks and trees to "green cathedrals, offering comfort during difficult times."

LMTF and American Forests will coordinate the planting of an additional 2,792 trees throughout New York City. Each of the native trees, to be grown by American Forests' Historic Tree Nursery in Jacksonville, Florida, will be 10- to 12-foot tall. LMTF also sponsored 16 Freedom Trees at New York fire stations, police precincts, and at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's facilities in New York City. The City will plant two dawn redwoods at each of eight sites as reminders of the sacrifices made daily by the city's emergency personnel. The City aims to plant trees at each of NYC's 197 fire stations, police precincts, and Port Authority facilities. The plantings will include a decorative wrought iron tree guard and maintenance over the life of the trees.

Congress succeeded in passing both the "Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003" (HR 1904) and a Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 Interior Appropriations bill before adjourning this year-two accomplishments that looked doubtful when Congress went into its August recess (see Autumn 2003 Washington Outlook). Spurred by dramatic wildfires in southern California and with the help of bipartisan leadership, the House and Senate were able to complete action on these bills.

Passage of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act gave President Bush a significant legislative victory: his 2002 "Healthy Forest Initiative" provided much of the impetus for this legislation. The final bill, however, was the product of substantial bipartisan negotiation, first in the Senate, then in efforts to reconcile House and Senate versions.

Though still controversial, the legislation contains provisions to address concerns raised about earlier legislative proposals, such as those dealing with old-growth protection and citizens' right to challenge projects through appeals or court cases. The final bill also includes key provisions addressing several of American Forests' priorities, such as community involvement in planning and implementing projects, significant federal funding, and multiparty monitoring, which involves multiple parties in helping build trust and understanding among diverse interests.

We at American Forests were pleased to see a bipartisan process emerge in the Senate to negotiate controversial provisions in the bill, particularly in Title I, the centerpiece of the legislation, which authorizes hazardous fuel-reduction projects aimed at reducing small and diseased trees and brush in overgrown forests. We had been concerned contentiousness and partisan politics over other major issues might derail wildfire and forest health legislation.

This small, bipartisan staff group attempted to develop new language to address issues-such as old-growth protection, environmental analysis, citizens' right to appeal, and judicial review-while pursuing the bill's basic purpose of authorizing more hazardous fuels reduction projects and encouraging their timely implementation.

We sent a letter to the Senate commending the bipartisan process and recognizing several new provisions of interest to us. Two key provisions were:

• "Community wildfire protection plans," which encourage local collaboration to identify and prioritize areas for hazardous fuel reduction projects and methods of treatment.
• An annual authorization of $760 million for hazardous fuels reduction projects, roughly twice current spending. We urged additional changes, such as calling for multiparty monitoring and "best value contracting," authorities that emphasize quality performance in implementing projects and allow federal agencies to consider social and economic benefits to local communities when seeking contractors (see October 28, 2003, letter at www.americanforests.org).

The Senate passed its negotiated version of HR 1904 by a strong vote of 80-14, setting the stage for a House-Senate conference committee on the two bills. Once again partisan politics appeared to threaten passage, and once again a small group of bipartisan members and staff stepped forward, paving the way for formal conference committee action and passage by both houses.

With respect to Title I, we believe the final bill has been appropriately narrowed to focus on hazardous fuel reduction projects in the "wildland-urban interface"-areas near communities-and to use a local collaborative process to prioritize projects. As often happens in legislative language, the multiparty monitoring provisions are open to interpretation and allow for substantial discretion by federal agencies. The challenge now is to ensure the language is interpreted and implemented in a way that fulfills the promise of these provisions for both communities and forest ecosystems. This is also true for provisions in the bill's five other titles.

The FY 2004 Interior Appropriations bill cleared the House and Senate with less rancor and difficulty than expected, while eight other of a total of 13 appropriations bills became caught up in year-end politics and may be carried over into next year.

Along with new funding for FY 2004 Congress included $300 million to help pay for wildfire suppression costs incurred by the U.S. Forest Service in FY 2003. The agency had to transfer or borrow funds from other programs once it spent all that year's appropriated funds for wildfire suppression. The new $300 million still falls $141 million short of what the agency transferred from other programs last year. There is an additional $283 million the agency transferred from other programs in FY 2002 that has not been repaid by Congress. Language in the Interior Appropriations report "implores" the Administration "to create a more reasoned approach" to fund emergency wildfire suppression. American Forests has joined a diverse coalition of nongovernmental groups to develop suggestions.

In other key wildfire provisions for Forest Service spending in FY 2004, Congress provided $236 million for hazardous fuel reduction projects. The bill only provides $7 million for rehabilitating lands damaged by wildfires, a continuing concern of ours. And the bill provides $52 million for State and Community Assistance while eliminating funding for Economic Action Programs under the wildfire accounts. We need to understand how these funding shifts will affect many of the rural communities with whom we partner.

With respect to State and Private Forestry programs, the new spending bill provides $35 million for Urban and Community Forestry, a slight reduction from last year. Bill language also directs the agency to prepare a report that describes current funding allocation methods and alternative methods that place a greater emphasis on performance. The bill provides $26 million for Economic Action Programs, nearly $15 million for special projects and $11 million for basic program functions. This funding level restores support for a top program priority of our rural community partners, but the Administration is expected to propose its elimination once again in January when it releases its FY 2005 budget proposals. -Gerry Gray