Southern California in particular is suffering from the largest bark beetle infestation in the last 50 years, killing more than a million trees. The funding was secured by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Jerry Lewis, members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees.

"This funding could not come a moment too soon," Senator Feinstein said. "Today, there are over 500,000 acres burning in Southern California, and some of these fires are fueled by the trees killed by the bark beetle. Right now, we need to do everything possible to contain the fires, save endangered lives, and protect private property. In the long term, however, we need to make a comprehensive effort to remove the dead and dying trees that increase the risk of catastrophic fire. This funding will go directly to this effort."

"The president has recognized the catastrophe we are facing in California by declaring a disaster for four counties, and this additional funding is a commitment by Congress to reduce the potential for future disasters," Lewis said. "It is essential that we bring the resources of the federal government to bear on helping in the recovery from these terrible fires, and in doing everything possible to prevent them in the future."

Once approved by the conference committee, appropriations bills are virtually assured final passage by the full House and Senate.

Years of drought and an attack by the mountain pine bark beetle have killed nearly all of the trees in and around much of the San Bernardino National Forest, and have severely damaged forests on 400,000 acres throughout Southern California. Because much of this land is urbanized, the tree die-off has created fire conditions that have been ranked as the most dangerous in the nation by the U.S. Forest Service.

Lewis and Feinstein have made urgent requests in both the House and Senate to target funds especially to deal with the emergency facing Southern California forest residents. Congress last year approved a $3.2 million transfer of disaster mitigation funds to help state and local agencies begin the process of eliminating trees and disposing of them on thousands of acres of private lands surrounding the San Bernardino National Forest. Using the funds, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties have begun mitigation programs that will be further funded through $20 million allocated to state and private forestry funds.

Specifically, these funds will go toward clearing of evacuation routes, around emergency shelter locations and communication sites and establishing buffer zones around highly populated communities in order to prevent fire sweeping through such communities.

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