57 



3245 Bowen Road 



St. Leonard Md , 20685-2411 



410-586-1767 June 24, 1993 



Sen. Thomas Daschle, Chair 

 Subcommittee on Conservation & Forestry 

 Committee on, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

 Washington D.C.. 20510 



Dear Sen. Daschle: 



I would appreciate having this letter and my statement made a part of 

 your June 24 hearing on below-cost timber sales. In my TSPIRS analysis the 

 Regional Office, Washington Office and 25% County payments are counted as 

 costs. In making "Forest" claims of profit and loss the Forest Service 

 omits these real costs. 



In 1974-1976 I did the staff work that helped formulate both the RPA 

 and the NFMA. I am a forester, now retired. 



This is a difficult issue, as are most issues involving well- 

 entrenched subsidies. The recipients deny it is a subsidy. The agency 

 pretends it is not a subsidy. 



One Forest I cite, is the Black Hills in your South Dakota. As you can 

 see it is one where the Forest Service has not improved the real cost-loss 

 situation. I did not select it because it is in your State. I selected it 

 because it is one the timber industry and the Forest Service falsely touted 

 as significantly improved financially, when, unfortunately, it has not. 



The difficult issue faced by the Executive Branch and Congress is 

 choosing how to spend limited taxpayer's money in an era when the Annual 

 Deficits and National Debt are mounting at an increasing pace. This is an 

 area where actions can be taken. While not as major as some of our larger 

 and possibly less justified subsidies, it is nevertheless one that deserves 

 to be controlled. 



As a citizen it is my view that my first obligation is to recognize 

 areas where I have a stake and recommend corrective action, before calling 

 for subsidy reduction in other areas that do not affect me. Therefore, as 

 a forester, I make these suggestions. 



Sincerely yours, 



Robert E. Wolf 



Encl: Statement 



1991 ltr to Cong. Volkmer 



5 year, TSPIRS analysis 



10 Year ASR Analysis of Black Hills 

 [ sentest 1 . doc ] 



