Walden to hold hearing in Sisters

U.S. Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR), chairman of the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health, will hold a field hearing in Sisters to discuss the importance of restoration and rehabilitation of forestlands damaged by wildfire

Titled "In the Aftermath of Catastrophic Event: Restoring and Protecting Communities, Water, Wildlife and Forests," the hearing is open to the public and will be held on Wednesday, August 18, at 1:30 p.m. at Sisters High School.

"I wanted to hold this hearing in Central Oregon using the charred remains of the B&B fire as a backdrop for our discussion because it is a perfect example of how destructive catastrophic fire can be to a region's environmental and economic health," said Walden.

After burning nearly 91,000 acres one year ago, the B&B Complex Fire is now at an important juncture in its recovery. The project area for restoration includes 40,000 acres that are located outside of wilderness. The general goals are to protect and restore forest ecosystems, recover economic value of timber, protect and restore watershed conditions and fishery habitat and reduce the threat of future high severity wildfires.

"There is a great deal of restoration work to do throughout Oregon when it comes to burn areas," said Walden. "I look forward to a field hearing that will provide valuable information from experts as to how we can get that work done more efficiently and productively."

The subcommittee has invited expert witnesses to testify at the hearing representing officials from the local area, Oregon State University's College of Forestry, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the U.S. Forest Service and others. In addition, the general public has the opportunity to submit written testimony for the official record to Ryan Yates, subcommittee clerk, by September 1. Yates can be reached via email: [email protected] or fax: (202) 225-0521.