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and to develop and improve community infrastructure, including water systems and waste 

 treatment facilities. 



The BLM plays a small but vital role in the economic assistance package. This is the third year 

 that the BLM has managed its Jobs-In-The- Woods (JITW) program, in which participants learn 

 new job skills while restoring the environment. In addition to the BLM, JITW programs are also 

 run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the U.S. Forest 

 Service. The total JITW program is only 14 percent of the economic assistance package, and it is 

 the only part of the package in which the BLM is involved. Its goal is to develop a local pool of 

 workers skilled in forest ecosystem management that can successfully compete for future 

 contracting opportunities in the region. In fiscal year 1995, the BLM in Oregon spent over $9 

 million to sponsor JITW demonstration projects. 



I would like to give you my personal perspective on the JITW program. During a trip to Oregon 

 last year, I went out to the Sweet Home JITW site. The workers I talked with were very 

 enthusiastic about working on JITW watershed restoration projects. They do forest thinnings to 

 enhance stand health and productivity, as well as to improve structure and diversity for wildlife. 

 Sediment reduction projects such as road surfacing and culvert redesign and replacements are 

 making significant improvements to many areas. To give some protection for young fish and 

 provide spawning habitat, we are changing streamside conditions which will provide future stream 

 structure and shade and increase stream diversity. 



Goal #2 Provide a sustainable timber economy. 



Let me assure the Subcommittee that the BLM is meeting its commitment to offer timber sales 

 under the Northwest Forest Plan. In 1994, the BLM in western Oregon made a commitment to 

 ramp up to offering the full allowable sale quantity under the Western Oregon Resource 

 Management Plans. In fiscal year 1995, we committed to offering 1 18 million board feet that met 

 the standards and guidelines of the Northwest Forest Plan; we offered 127 million. In fiscal year 



