Oregon Public Broadcasting

In Seattle Friday Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack laid out a “new vision” for the U.S. Forest Service, focusing on conservation and restoration.

The Forest Service is part of the federal Agriculture Department. Correspondent Tom Banse reports that part of the agency's agenda is to increase forest thinning.

Speaking in a Seattle park, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack said restoration of unhealthy public forests will be a top priority.

The former Iowa governor wants overcrowded forests thinned to improve wildlife habitat, or to reduce the wildfire threat, or even to combat bug outbreaks.

Tom Vilsack: “On our national forests, we must restore more acres more rapidly if we are to prevent catastrophic fires, insect outbreaks, and other threats, particularly as climate change makes those threats more potent.”

Thinning work rarely pays for itself.

After the speech, Western Washington Congressman Norm Dicks said he's supportive, but unsure whether the growing federal budget deficit will rule out spending more on such projects.

Environmentalists reacted cautiously, saying thinning is appropriate in some places, but not others.