88 



Dr. Brooks. Oh, I beg your pardon, sir. The State of Alaska De- 

 partment of Fish and Game during my watch and as far back as 

 1954 when I worked for the Territorial Department of Fish and 

 Game, we have consistently recommended buffer strips. 



Senator Wallop. We will develop some of that during the ques- 

 tions. 



Dr. Brooks. Pardon? 



Senator Wallop. We will develop some of that during the ques- 

 tions. 



The Chairman. Mr. Brooks, it has been suggested to us that 

 within the 100-foot buffer zone that some selective harvesting of 

 the pumpkins or money trees would actually enhance the quality 

 of the Class I stream. I take it you do not agree with that? 



Dr. Brooks. Absolutely not. The scientific evidence suggests just 

 the contrary. 



There have been indications that opening up the canopy may 

 create more food and warm the water, that will enhance the 

 growth and survival of salmon and trout fry. But our studies have 

 shown that, although this may happen, it is very ephemeral and 

 the same fish will never winter over. The kind of environment that 

 you have in the winter in such conditions is not conducive to sur- 

 vival. So you may create these fish in the summer, but you are 

 going to — in that kind of an environment, you are not going to 

 have them the next spring. 



The Chairman. It seemed to me at least that that was the only 

 real question on Class I streams. The width, the 100 feet, seemed to 

 be pretty well agreed to by most people, and the only question 

 seemed to be whether to harvest individual trees at the discretion 

 of the foresters. And you come down clearly no. 



Dr. Koski, do you agree with that? 



Dr. Koski. I agree wholeheartedly with that, yes. 



The Chairman. Is anybody here prepared to argue with that con- 

 clusion? 



Mr. Gibbons. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a few 

 comments in regard 



The Chairman. Yes, if you will state your name for the record. 



Mr. Gibbons. Dave Gibbons. 



Some of the studies have shown, studying buffer strips, that the 

 buffer strips studied — some were less than 100 feet and some were 

 more than 100 feet, and the studies show that if you maintain ex- 

 isting habitat and you provide for future sources of large woody 

 debris, that the production can be maintained or perhaps even in- 

 creased. 



So some of the research has shown that. 



The Chairman. Well, you heard Mr. Brooks say that trying to 

 apply a very complicated standard would overwhelm the fisheries 

 people and would be difficult for the foresters to interpret out 

 there in the field. 



Is it not difficult to interpret those standards and make these de- 

 cisions? 



Mr. Gibbons. Management of a stream is very complicated. No 

 two streams are alike, and we have got 55,000 miles of stream. So 

 what we have done is we have classified streams into like units. 



