Angeles Volunteer Association
HOME | NEWS RELEASES | JOIN US

Archived Articles from the Newsletter of the Angeles Volunteer Association

Articles about Mike Dombeck:

              Dombeck Discusses Forest Service Agenda    July 1998
              Dombeck on Wilderness    November 2000

Angeles Volunteer News             Volume 6, Number 7                  July 1998

Dombeck Discusses Forest Service Agenda

by Richard Marvin, Vol 6-36

In speeches made in March and April, Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck outlined a Natural
Resource Agenda. He stated that the agenda "charts a course for the Forest Service into the 21st
Century." The four items on the agenda are:

watershed health and restoration;
sustainable forest ecosystem management;
forest roads; and
recreation.

Watershed Health and Restoration:

This is the one item which Dombeck stated will receive "overriding priority" in forest planning. The
Chief noted that the forests are the "head waters of the Nation." Watersheds absorb rainfall and
recharge aquifers. Dombeck outlined a program which includes significant increases in riparian area
restoration, habitat conservation, and protection for threatened and endangered species. Other
matters due to receive increased attention are: mine reclamation, preventing the spread of non-native
plants and animals, using prescribed burns, and the thinning of unnaturally dense forests - particularly
along the urban interface.

Forest Roads:

While the current 18 month moratorium on road building in roadless areas is receiving a lot of
attention, Dombeck stated that the real issue is the broader one of management for the entire forest
road system. Good forest roads are a necessity, but several issues must be considered. Building and
maintaining roads is very expensive. Furthermore, "improperly located, designed or maintained roads
contribute to erosion, wildlife and fish habitat fragmentation, degradation of water quality, and the
dispersal of exotic species." The main pillars of Dombeck's policy are straightforward: careful study
before any new roads are built; elimination of old roads which are not needed; and upgrading
existing roads where access is truly necessary.

Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management:

Dombeck noted that more people are placing greater demands on the forests. In order to maintain
watershed health, a program of active management based on sound science is necessary. Today
forests play a larger role than simply providing timber. Increasingly, people "are turning to their
forests for values such as: naturalness, clean water, abundant fish and wildlife, (and) a place for
personal renewal." Yet, Dombeck stated, there is still a need for stable timber supply, and he
rejected the 'zero-cut' option as 'misguided.' Several specific suggestions for sustainable forest
management were mentioned. Examples are: new federal policies to discourage the conversion of
forests to other uses, and technical assistance to industry to make the use of small diameter timber
more profitable.

Recreation:

Four items will receive the attention of the Forest Service:

offering the public high quality sites;
obtaining feedback to assess visitor satisfaction;
improving public outreach programs; and
cooperating with private individuals or communities who provide recreation.


A further goal is that every visitor to the national forests should leave with a better understanding of
"how important their natural resource legacy is to them."

Mike Dombeck concluded his March 2 speech with a statement of his vision for the Forest Service:
"We can leave no greater gift for our children, show no greater respect for our forefathers, than to
leave the watersheds entrusted to our care healthier, more diverse, and more productive."

Sources: Dombeck, Speech to FS Employees 3/2/98; Dombeck, Remarks to Pacific Rivers Council, 4/15/98.

RETURN TO:
Archived Newsletter Articles

Angeles Volunteer News             Volume 8, Number 11                  November 2000

Dombeck on Wilderness

by Richard Marvin

Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck spoke in September at the National Wilderness Conference in Denver. He discussed the importance of wilderness and reviewed the role of the Forest Service.

Regarding the benefits of wilderness, Dombeck summarized that "we need what wilderness can give us. Wilderness provides us with clean water and air. Wilderness provides habitats for plants and animals, including a refuge for endangered species; all too often, wilderness is their last, best hope for survival. Wilderness provides a reference for evaluating the effect of management activities on soil, water, air, and ecological processes. Wilderness provides solitude, a refuge from the noise and traffic that plague us in our daily lives. Wilderness provides scenic beauty, a place for quiet reflection on what it means to be alive."

Regarding the future of wilderness, Dombeck stated, "I remain concerned….We live in a society dominated by high-tech gadgetry that makes our lives easier, even as we are further removed from our wilderness heritage. In a world of technological innovations that know no bounds, who will speak for the wild places—for the natural landscapes that yearly give way to parking lots, urban sprawl, our insatiable consumption of natural resources, and other indicators of what too many view as 'progress.'

"In a society that prides itself on recognizing no limits to development, it takes courage and conviction to simply say, 'Enough. This land is okay as it is. In fact, it is essential that it remain unchanged except through the hand of Mother Nature.'"

Chief Dombeck admitted that Forest Service policies in the past have not been as protective of wilderness as they might have been. "Too often, from 1950 onward, we allowed our commitment to multiple use—a commitment that has helped fulfill the American dream of home ownership—to imply that we couldn’t be 'for' wilderness without being 'against' multiple use. Many accused us of only arguing for the protection of 'rock and ice' as wilderness, leaving the prairie, old growth, and other more 'productive' ecosystems open to development."

Presently, according to Dombeck, there are new initiatives underway to protect the nation's wild areas. He mentioned, for example, the Wilderness Advisory Group of the Forest Service, the agenda called "Thinking like a Mountain" and a new wilderness database to assist wilderness managers. Dombeck also paid tribute to "Dozens of Forest Service wilderness advocates [who] have my highest respect and admiration for their wilderness ethic and leadership. The word 'advocate' has fallen out of fashion as a term for describing Forest Service employees—we spend so much time seeking to balance advocacy positions on so many issues. But when it comes to wilderness, I expect us to serve as the leaders, the stewards of the wilderness resource—developing proposals for new wilderness and advocating the management of existing wilderness.

In concluding his speech, Chief Dombeck expressed his certainty that everyone attending the Wilderness Conference would be active in supporting additions to the wilderness system. However, he also asked that they be committed to helping the Forest Service establish high wilderness standards in the existing system. "Today, more vigilance than ever is needed. We are entering times that will truly test our ability to protect America’s wilderness. In the next few decades, America’s growing population will spread even farther into the wildland/urban interface. What will that mean for America’s wilderness? Consider: Forest fragmentation has doubled in 16 years, partly because 7,000 acres of open space are lost every day. People are demanding more and more space to live in, to work in, to play in. Unless we begin to do something now, we could see our most vulnerable lands—our wildlands—gradually eroded away."

RETURN TO:
Archived Newsletter Articles
News Releases
AVA Home Page