"It is imperative that emergency funds are made available through the next possible legislative vehicle to ensure that these critical conservation projects move forward without further delay," said Senator Collins.
This year's catastrophic forest fire season required the Forest Service and the Department of the interior to transfer approximately $1.25 billion in FY 2002 funds to cover the costs of emergency fire suppression. These transfers caused the agencies to defer action in several critical program areas, including funding for Maine's Forest Legacy, Forest Stewardship, Economic Development, Forest Health, and the Urban Forestry Programs. In addition, the University of Maine has received fewer funds than they had anticipated.
The Appalachian Mountain Club, Nature Conservancy, Forest Society of Maine, and others all support the use of emergency funding to restore money to these critical programs.