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STATEMENT OF 

 GEORGE E. LEONARD, ASSOCIATE CHIEF 

 FOREST SERVICE 

 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Before the 



Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands 



Committee on Natural Resources 



United States House of Representatives 



Concerning watershed and fish habitat degradation on public 

 lands and National Forests in the Pacific Northwest. 



March 11, 1993 



MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE: 



Thank you for the opportunity to offer our views on the 

 conditions of the watersheds and fish habitat on the National 

 Forests of the Pacific Northwest. I am accompanied today by 

 Drs . James Sedell and Frederick Swanson, research scientists 

 from our Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon. 



THE FOREST SERVICE HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN THE 

 MANAGEMENT OF WATERSHEDS AND FISH HABITAT IN THE PACIFIC 

 NORTHWEST . 



The Forest Service is responsible for managing for multiple -use 

 purposes the 191-million acres of forest and range land that 

 comprise the National Forest System. The challenge for the 

 Forest Service is to manage with an ecosystem perspective for 

 all uses while ensuring the protection of the basic resources of 

 soil, water, and air that are crucial to the sound stewardship 

 of fisheries habitat. We are committed to continually improving 

 our management, consistent with new information, to assure 

 long-term sustainability of the resources under our care. 



