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For Immediate Release: July 23, 2002
Contact: Annie Strickler, (202) 675-2384

                  Want Healthy Forests? Think Restoration
  New Report Shows Environmental and Economic Benefits of Restoring
        America's Forests

Washington, D.C. -- America's National Forests suffer from serious
disrepair after decades of destructive logging, but a new report says
solutions exist to bring silt-clogged trout streams back to life, stabilize
landslide-prone hillsides, and create good jobs in forest communities. The
report, released today by the Sierra Club, highlights the benefits, as well
as the challenges, of restoring our nation's treasured forests. With the
recent forest fires focusing Americans' attention on the need for sensible
forest management, the report posits restoration as a key element in the
long-term goal of protecting forests and communities.

"With forest restoration we can embark on the path to the future. Restoring
our National Forests will leave a legacy of clean air and water, wildlife
habitat, recreation opportunities, and protection from flooding and
catastrophic fires -- a wild heritage that is worth more than can be
measured in two-by-fours," the report reads.

"This report will help Americans understand the importance of restoring our
nation's forests, to protect communities and wildlife and to restore what's
left of our wild forest heritage," said Sean Cosgrove, Sierra Club forest
policy specialist. "Instead of wasting taxpayer money on commercial logging
of these forests, we should be restoring what remains of America's
playgrounds."

The report, "Restoring America's Forests: Protecting Habitat, Saving Stream
and Generating Jobs in our National Forests," is an in-depth look at the
methods, costs, benefits, and politics of forest restoration projects. The
report includes case studies from Redwood National Forest in California,
the White River in Vermont, the Umpqua National Forest in Oregon and
others.

"Americans love these special places for the wonderful services they
provide -- clean drinking water, recreational and economic opportunities,
and fish and wildlife habitat," said Cosgrove. "It is imperative that we
restore the health and wealth of goods and services our forests provide,
for our families, for our future."

The report is designed to help policy makers, community leaders, land
managers, and the public identify the opportunities, challenges and
benefits of restoring our nation's forests. While many restoration projects
actively engage the local communities in the health of their forests, some
forest management officials undermine this trust by promoting intensive
logging under the guise of restoration.

"This summer's fire season has confirmed the need to rethink our forest
management strategies and proactively restore our National Forests,"
continued Cosgrove. "If done correctly, forest restoration can be at the
heart of a new way of thinking for government agencies in charge of
managing our nation's federal forests, like the U.S. Forest Service and the
Bureau of Land Management."

To download the report, please go to
http://www.sierraclub.org/logging/report02

                        ###


Erin Jordahl
Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
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