What Bush Says

The House voted Tuesday to accelerate tree cutting on 20 million acres of overgrown woodlands that are prone to the wildfires that scorched millions of acres across 15 states last year. President Bush supported the bill, which was approved 256-170, and urged the Senate to act on it quickly. "For too many years, bureaucratic tangles and bad forest policy have prevented foresters from keeping our woodlands healthy and safe," Bush said.


The Truth

WASHINGTON - Few projects to reduce wildfire threats were long delayed because of environmental challenges, congressional auditors say. The conclusion runs counter to the case the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress have made for scaling back studies and appeals.

The General Accounting Office (news - web sites ) found that three-fourths of the 762 Forest Service projects to cut wildfire risk in the past two years went ahead without any challenge. That allowed treatment such as logging or controlled burning on 3.8 million acres of national forests.

Projects that were challenged by environmental groups or other parties generally move ahead within 90 days, according to the report by the investigative arm of Congress.

The best way to save our trees is to cut them down!