WHEREAS, surviving a crime can have myriad lasting effects on victims, including physical, psychological, social, and financial issues; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary to create safe environments for survivors of crime, providing not only support but also access to critical services and, above all, hope; and

WHEREAS, forests cover over eight-nine percent of Maine's land, defining our environment and contributing to our high quality of life; and

WHEREAS, these healthy, productive forests provide employment and sustain the state's two leading industries, forest products and tourism; and

WHEREAS, for more than a century the State of Maine has been a national leader in forest fire control and prevention, and in 1891 established the Maine Forest Service to combat forest fires; and