219 



TESTIMOKY OF 



PAUL V£BST£R 



FIi£SID£NT 



WEBSTER LUMBER COMPANY 



Thank you very much, Chaiinnan Fenny and Chairman Condit, for 

 the opportunity to testify today on the future direction of the 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service 

 (FAS) and the several programs it currently manages. I am 

 testifying on behalf of the American Forest & Paper Association 

 and the entire U.S. solid wood industry, which includes more than 

 twenty trade associations and their 7,500 member companies who 

 benefit from the various groups of services offered by the FAS 

 program (see Attachment A) . 



The American Forest & Paper Association (AFPA) , of which my 

 company is a member, represents approximately 550 member 

 companies and related trade associations which grow, harvest, and 

 process wood and wood fiber, manufacture pulp, paper and 

 paperboard products from both virgin and recovered fiber, and 

 produce solid wood products. As a single national association, 

 AFPA represents a vital national industry which accounts for over 

 7 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing output. 



The industry employs some 1.4 million people, and ranks 

 among the top 10 manufacturing employers in 46 states, with an 

 annual labor cost of about $46 billion. The forest and paper 

 products industry generates sales of $200 billion annually. As a 

 significant exporter to global markets, with exports of $17 

 billion in 1992, the industry makes an important contribution to 

 the U.S. balance of payments. 



