{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=c80a0a11-d09a-44ff-a75a-1a1a9ade921e", "Springfield News-Leader: Management of Mark Twain forest concerns lawmakers", "2013-12-10", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News-Leader Staff \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tU.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Strafford, and U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, met with Kathleen Atkinson, the eastern regional forester for the U.S. Forest Service, regarding concerns over controlled burns and timber management in the Mark Twain National Forest.\u00a0\r\n\u201cForestry is an important economic engine in rural Missouri, and many families and local businesses rely on the Mark Twain National Forest for resources including timber, wood products, agriculture, and recreation,\u201d Blunt said.\u00a0\r\n\u201cCongressman Smith and I are working with the forest service to ensure that timber harvest remains a management priority and that the utility of controlled burns is thoroughly examined, so the Mark Twain National Forest can continue to benefit our state.\u201d\u00a0\r\nChristian County contains 52,260 acres of land set aside for the Mark Twain National Forest. It is home to three campgrounds and recreation areas and an 80-mile trail system for ATVs, mountain biking and hiking.\u00a0\r\nThe forest service uses the burns to control growth of trees and vegetation in the expansive national forest, which stretches over hundreds of square miles in southern Missouri. The Mark Twain National Forest website listed nearly 56,000 acres scheduled for prescribed burns in fiscal 2013.\u00a0\r\nLogging and timber industries in Missouri employ more than 32,000 people and contribute $5.7 billion each year to the state's economy, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.\u00a0\r\nThe department\u2019s website says Missouri is a national leader in the manufacture of forest products like charcoal, barrels, and red-cedar gift items.\u00a0\r\n\u201cRoy and I have both toured areas of the Mark Twain where \u2018controlled burns\u2019 have inadvertently destroyed harvestable timber,\u201d Smith said.\r\n\u201cWe would like to see a management strategy from the forest service that prevents harvestable timber from being destroyed, and also ensures that local governments and school districts will continue to benefit as much as possible from timber sales.\u201d\r\nRead more here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=c80a0a11-d09a-44ff-a75a-1a1a9ade921e"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0005079675465822, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}