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culture. Both sides should come together as quickly as possible to agree on the mul- 

 tiple use of our Black Hills National Forest under Act of 1897. 



The Black Hills has a very fiery history. Documents show that fire raged through 

 every acre of forest every 20-25 years. With fire protection, fires have been reduced 

 dramatically, but with a more dense forest and more people in the area, fires will 

 still occur and without regular burning or harvest the amount of fuel build up in- 

 creases the potential of an intense fire if it does start. Our communities are sur- 

 rounded by National Forest land. If the fire risk is not reduced through good proper 

 management, our communities are at risk from catastrophic fire. The USFS has 

 said they will not fight structural fires. Our communities and outlying neighbors 

 will be at the whim of fire conditions and the solitary protection of small volunteer 

 fire departments. 



Our tourism is based on the beauty of the Black Hills. If Norbeck Wildlife Pre- 

 serve burns, there will be no one who will then want to come to Hill City to buy a 

 T-shirt or eat a hamburger, and neither will there be the jobs available for local 

 residents waiting for the forest to regrow. We cannot replace these timber jobs with 

 minimum wage jobs and still be economically strong. We cannot take the risk and 

 let the forest burn. It would take 30 to 60 years to replace Norbeck. Why waste this 

 reserve when it should be thinned and controlled under the Act of 1897. 



Our communities are 85 percent dependent upon national forest land to recharge 

 aquifers for water for residents and visitors alike. A dense forest can reduce up to 

 50 percent of the soil moisture affecting run off and productivity of the forest. Our 

 streams need to be maintained to prevent loss of fishing opportunities and to keep 

 the wildlife density spread throughout the forest for hunters. The city of Custer has 

 asked for help from the Forest Service in managing NF land to increase water flow 

 to their water system. As the BH Sierra Club Environmental group suggested in one 

 of their appeals that "The City of Custer would be better advised to pray for rain 

 than to expect any water benefits to be provided by the Forest Service through fur- 

 ther tree-farming in the Wabash Buckhorn area." Scientists from the State univer- 

 sity system have verified that tree density will dramatically effect the amount of 

 precipitation reaching the ground. 



Finally the good neighbor policy holds true for whoever owns property. With the 

 land checkerboarded with private ownership, management is necessary on National 

 Forest Land to prevent a taking of private land. Insects, fire, disease and wildfire do 

 not understand political subdivisions. Actions taken by the USFS can seriously 

 impact private without consultation. Our rural neighbors need the same consider- 

 ation and respect in the Black Hills Regions that they would receive from neighbors 

 throughout South Dakota or Wyoming. 



In order to maintain both healthy ecosystems and a healthy social structure, the 

 government must ensure sustainable outputs of all kinds from public land. In order 

 to achieve this, local government entities must be involved in the economic and eco- 

 logical assessment of the Federal Land Use Planning if Ecosystem Management is 

 to exist. 



In my opinion, it is not enough to just involve county commissioners, but local 

 mayors and their councils also. Decisions that have a great impact on local econo- 

 mies should include all local governments. The USFS should call local governments 

 to sit at their conference tables when making these decisions that effect all of us. 



The Wilderness Act with no management of wildfires or disease control was irre- 

 sponsible done. Wilderness served no purpose when total destruction is allowed. 

 Controlled multiple use and correct management is the only proper way to have a 

 healthy forest as proposed by Dixie Lee Ray, author of Preservation Kills. It is un- 

 American to allow a few people to withhold information on a Forest Service Plan 

 and say they will not allow local government to review the Plan. 



I want to thank Senator Larry Pressler for allowing me to participate in this 

 hearing. 



Senator Pressler. Thank you very much. 



I have some questions for the record here. 



Mr. Sylva, perhaps you cannot answer this, or maybe you could 

 for the record. I know there are probably superiors of yours who 

 make some of these decisions, and I don't want to beat up on you, 

 but what is the reason the Forest Service data on the amount of 

 timber in the Hills can't be released? 



Mr. Sylva. Mr. Chairman, it can and will be as soon as we get 

 the draft prepared and the analysis of the numbers are concrete so 



