47 



Do you believe that privately held forests can be managed in a 

 way of sustainable yield? You talked a little bit about job loss in 

 the area and what has happened in the area that you live in. Do 

 you believe that privately held forest can be properly managed? 



Ms. Bailey. Yes, sir; I do. I don't believe it is being done too 

 much in California right now. 



I would like to put a caveat on that. I don't believe it is appro- 

 priate at this time to be cutting any more virgin redwoods. I think 

 it is not a renewable resource, and I think they need protection. 

 But the second growth forest, yes, I think it can be done and 

 should be done. 



Mr. POMBO. So in your opinion, the only way to protect this area 

 is for some governmental agency to hold title to it? 



Ms. Bailey. Yes. Our experience so far in California has been — 

 for instance, let me tell you about where I live, which is under the 

 same jurisdiction with these State board of forestry regulations. 

 Our major timber holder, Louisiana Pacific, in Mendocino County 

 testified to the board of supervisors at one point last year that 85 

 percent of their resource base was in the 35-year-age class. Now, 

 this is an area where trees yield a maximum amount of timber be- 

 tween 80 and 110 or — 20 years old. 



Eighty-five percent of Louisiana Pacific's forestland in Mendocino 

 County is at the 35-year-age class; there is not much employment 

 in the 35-year-age class for trees. It is going to be a long time be- 

 fore those trees come back to production, and that is being very ob- 

 viously reflected in mill closures in our area. 



Mr. POMBO. Do you feel that by the Grovemment owning this 

 property it will help the mill closures or the job situation? 



Ms. Bailey. I think in the long term it will, yes. 



The old growth situation is a piece separate. I think the Federal 

 Government has taken the lead in sustainable management, and I 

 think over time that the Federal Government, at this moment, ap- 

 pears to be doing a more sustainable job of forestry than what is 

 appearing under purely market conditions. 



What is happening in California is that it is a totally market-ori- 

 ented cut rate and so back in, say, 1989 when there was a very 

 high demand — ^where I live, we saw crews coming from all over the 

 State, and the forest was leveled in a very short period of time, the 

 second growth forest; and then when the bottom dropped out, most 

 of those people went away. And now that the economy is steirting 

 to come back again there are so few trees left that our local people 

 are having to go farther and farther afield for emplojrment because 

 there was this frenzy of cutting a few years ago. So it is not sus- 

 tainable. It is boom and bust, boom and bust; and that has been 

 the pattern under the market-oriented cutting. 



Mr. Rose. Mr. Pombo, if you can — we have a vote — ^we are com- 

 ing back, but do you want to go on and finish now, or wait until 

 we come back? 



Mr. POMBO. It is probably better if I wait until we come back, 

 then. 



Mr. Rose. The gentleman has used about 2^2 minutes, and we 

 will go now and vote. 



The subcommittee will stand in recess until we answer this vote. 



Thank you. 



