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Forest Service. I am concerned that the historically high cut levels 

 established by Congress in consultation with the Forest Service has 

 caused some timber to be offered for sale that could not be justified 

 on the basis of cost or other objectives. 



Mr. Leonard, could you address those concerns and for the record 

 give me your reflections on the timber targets set by Congress and 

 what if any abuses have occurred as a result of those targets? 



Mr. Leonard. First, I'd like to say that the Congress has never 

 set a timber sale target higher than the allowable sale quantity 

 that was calculated in our forest plans. There have been some 

 cases when, in individual years, Congress set a program higher 

 than the Forest Service had recommended at our initial time, but 

 it was never beyond the scope of the plans that we had developed. 



We have repeatedly, orally, in writing, and in our directions to 

 our supervisors, made it very clear that the standards and guide- 

 lines that are established in those forest plans, which are designed 

 to protect environmental quality, are the major element, the most 

 important element, in their job descriptions, and that they are not 

 to break any environmental law or violate any standard or guide- 

 line in those plans in order to achieve a timber target. If there is a 

 problem between targets and standards and guidelines in the plan, 

 the standards and guidelines in those plans will be followed, and 

 they will not be penalized in any form. 



I can say categorically that in my experience in the Forest Serv- 

 ice in over 34 years, virtually all of it in timber sale activity, I have 

 known of no Forest Service employee who has been transferred be- 

 cause he failed to meet his timber sale target. 



Senator Daschle. Do you think Congress ought to continue to es- 

 tablish timber targets? Are Forest Service systems managed as well 

 as they could be with those targets, our would you prefer more 

 flexibility? 



Mr. Leonard. As a matter of fact, Mr. Chairman, in the last 2 

 years, Congress has stopped setting timber targets by regions and 

 in fact, the President's budget for the last 2 years has set a range 

 in targets, primarily because of the uncertainty of the situation on 

 the west coast, and this year, the proposal from the President is for 

 a range in targets between 4.1 and 4.6. 



Senator Daschle. So the targets are still there; they are just not 

 as precise as they used to be? 



Mr. Leonard. Yes. It is to suggest some flexibility and the idea 

 that you do what you can; you do the best that you can to achieve 

 those targets, because they are important to these communities, 

 but that they are not to be achieved by pushing on any environ- 

 mental standards. 



Senator Daschle. I have additional questions, but I think we will 

 submit them for the record. The chairman of the full committee 

 had indicated that he, too, had some questions, so I will keep the 

 record open for at least 5 additional days for purposes of addressing 

 additional issues. But I must tell you that I have been very pleased 

 with the testimony and with the answers to the questions this 

 afternoon. 



We have begun making the record. Senator Craig and I have dis- 

 cussed a schedule of hearings to be held over the balance of this 

 Congress, and as this issue continues to heat up and as we begin to 



