127 



operating period. Private interests are eager to log the Chuck River araea, and K.PC is poised 

 to clearcut the Karta River, Nutkwa River, Calder-Holbrook and Salmon Bay Lake watersheds. 



n. THE FOREST SERVICE PLANNING ALTERNATIVES FOR THE TLMP REVISION 



ARE A SHAM. 



The Forest Service has prepared only four alternatives, in spite of the commitment in the 

 TLMP Revision Work Plan to analyze a minimum of five alternatives, with other alternatives to 

 be prepared to "be sure that there are no substantial gaps or voids between the upper and lower 

 limits established through the benchmark analysis (page 111-63)." 



The alternatives currently under consideration are: 



1) the existing Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP 1) 



2) the original Southeast Conference proposal endorsed by the Governor 

 of Alaska 



3) a "maximum timber" alternative 



4) an alternative the planners title: "incorporates H.R. 987." 



The alternative entitled "incorporates H.R. 987" is EOJ a representation of H.R. 987. In this 

 alternative the Forest Service has removed hundreds of thousands of acres of commercial forest 

 land from the timber base on top of the withdrawals implied bv H.R. 987. As a result, this 

 alternative implies a very large reduction in timber supply — a reduction that is probably at 

 least three times greater than that implied by H.R. 987. This is a very flaerant attempt bv the 

 Forest Service to deceive the Congress and th e public and to falsely discredit H.R. 987. 



The "incorporates H.R. 987* alternative withdraws the following lands from the TLMP timber 

 base: 



1) all areas proposed for wilderness designation in H.R. 987 (the boundary of the 

 Sarkar Lakes area is wrong- -it includes three VClTs east of Sarkar Lakes that 

 are already roaded and logged); 



2) buffer strips along class 1 and class 2 streams as included in H.R. 987; 



3) all lands allocated to Land Use Designation II (LUD II) in TLMP 1; 



4) most if not all Alaska Department of Fish and Game "Class 1" watersheds 

 identified in the Forest Habitat Integrity Plan (FHIP class 1 areas); 



5) all "recreation places" mapped by Forest Service planners; 



6) all Research Natural Areas proposed for classification by the Forest Service; and 



7) many places that are already accessed by roads and where substantial logging has 

 already occurred, such as the Neka River and the Game Creek/Seagull Creek 

 areas on north Chichagof Island, and portions of the Rodman Bay watershed 

 (which is almost 100% clearcut!) on Baranof Island. 



The current range of alternatives being considered by the TLMP Revision planning team fails 

 to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act or the National Forest Management Act, 

 and fails to convey any useful new information to Congress regarding Tongass policy and 

 management. 





