Timber harvesting has allowed for the reintroduction of native species which had 

 disappeared because a lack of management allowed faster growing trees to prevent 

 the growth and development of the slower growing hardwoods. Because of improved 

 management on our forest lands there are 70 percent more hardwoods in Kentucky 

 than there were in 1960. Today, there are more white oak, chestnut, and hickory 

 trees in Kentucky due to the efforts of the Forest Service to reintroduce these varie- 

 ties to the national forest. Timber sales are the avenue by which this proper man- 

 agement is provided, and I believe they are crucial to the continuation of sound en- 

 vironmental practices in our national forests. 



Improperly managing a forest is no different than buying an acre of land and 

 hoping a garden will grow from the land. The person will be sorely disappointed to 

 find out there will be no tomatoes in the garden unless tomatoes are planted. Even 

 if tomatoes were planted without the proper care and nurturing, the weeds will out- 

 grow the tomatoes and the thick undergrowth will eliminate the hope of ever bene- 

 fiting from the fruits of labor. 



Eastern Kentucky is home to one of the most economically distressed areas in the 

 Nation. This area has an urgent need for jobs to make it possible for adults to pro- 

 vide for themselves and their families. More than one out of every four families in 

 this region live in poverty. Jobs and opportunities are scarce and unemployment 

 rates in many of these counties are three to four times the national average. Each 

 and every job is important, and the loss of timber sales from Forest Service land 

 would mean fewer jobs for these citizens. 



For every 1 million board feet of timber harvested, 10 jobs are created. The loss of 

 the 41 million board feet of timber sold from the Daniel Boone Forest would put 400 

 people out of work, and result in a loss of $14 million in employment-related income 

 and $2 million in income tax generated by those jobs. 



Besides those economic losses, 21 Kentucky counties will lose a steady source of 

 revenue from the Forest Service funds which are returned to local communities. 

 Twenty-five percent of the gross receipts taken in from the sale of timber on the 

 Daniel Boone Forest are returned to the counties for projects such as road building 

 and schools. In 1993, an estimated $610,000 will be returned to Kentucky counties. 

 The following chart shows that the forest is an integral part of 21 Kentucky coun- 

 ties and how $610,000 will be cut from local budgets if below-cost timber sales are 

 prohibited in the Daniel Boone Forest. 



The people who benefit are the men, women, and children of Appalachia. It is not 

 "timber barons" or big corporate giants who benefit the most from timber sales, it is 

 the eastern Kentucky residents who need and want jobs. I have heard from some of 



