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During a meeting to discuss what future saw timber offerings might be, the forest-products 

 industry was warned that future ASQ's could be reduced to between 100 and 110 MMBF when 

 the forest-plan revision was complete. During this same meeting. Supervisor Kenops assured the 

 forest-products industiy that the Black Hills National Forest would offerno less than 118 MMBF 

 of saw timber until the forest-plan revision was completed. 



Now, current Forest Supervisor Roberta Moltin met with the forest-products industry and 

 indicated the FY 1994 ASQ and funding would only produce 100 MMBF and that the revised 

 forest plan would recommend a saw-timber level of between 85 to 90 MMBF. Not only has the 

 Forest Service failed to meet its forest-plan commitments, they have willingly requested budgets 

 that make it impossible to meet Supervisor Kenops commitment to maintain the 118 MMBF level 

 until the forest plan is finalized. These shortfalls have had very negative impacts on the ability 

 of the survival of some small mills The attached list of sawmills operating in the Black Hills 

 in 1955 compared to those mills currently operating tell part of the story. By the late 1960's 

 several other small business mills had also been built, including: Garhart & Poole in Spearfish, 

 Wood Sawmill in Spearfish, Cambria Forest Products in New Castle, Pope & Talbot in Spearfish, 

 Powder River Forest Products in Osage, Little River Forest Products in Piedmont, Hamms Forest 

 Products in Rapid City, Potters Mill in Rapid City, Neiman Sawmills in Hulett, McLaughlin 

 Sawmill in Spearfish, and Continental Lumber in Hill City. 



Of these nearly 40 mills, fewer than 10 still survive. In fact, only four are able to purchase saw 

 timber from the US Forest Service. Of these four, only one. Pope & Talbot with mills in 

 Spearfish and New Castle, has the capacity to mill 109 MMBF per year according to their 1990 

 production — as reported in Random Lengths Big Book. It is no wonder that most of the small 

 business mills have either gone out of business or have been bought out. 



Just this last May, Little River Lumber Company made the decision to close its doors. This trend 

 continues this month with the closure and auction of Hamms Forest Products in Rapid City. I 

 suggest you stop by the auction scheduled for September 29, it will give you a whole new 



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