58 



STATEMENT OF 



GEORGE M. LEONARD, ASSOCIATE CHIEF 



FOREST SERVICE 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Before the 

 Subcommittee on Public Lands, National Parks and Forests 

 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

 United States Senate 



Concerning 

 H.R. 987, an act "To amend the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, 

 to designate certain lands in the Tongass National Forest as wilderness, 



and for other purposes " 



February 26, 1990 



MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE: 



Thank you for the opportunity to present the Departments view's on H.R. 987, 

 the Tongass Timber Reform Act. With me today is Mike Barton, Regional Forester 

 for Alaska. 



The Administration opposes enactment of H.R. 987. 



H.R. 987 would repeal sections 705(a) and 705(d) of the Alaska National 

 Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) , terminate the existing long-term 

 timber sale contracts in Alaska, require 100- foot buffer zones along anadromous 

 fish streams and their tributaries in which no logging would be permitted, and 

 designate 23 new wildernesses areas in the Tongass National Forest. 



