38 



grant moneys to resource-dependent communities in Alaska in 

 1996. 



The Forest Service has also recently been charged with the dis- 

 tribution of the $110 million Southeast Alaska Economic Funds 

 that have beeii spoken to earlier today. I am pleased to say we are 

 working hard to quickly make these funds available to the commu- 

 nities. We have notified all eligible communities how they can 

 begin receiving their portion of the grants and payments. All but 

 one of the communities have already received payment checks. 

 Grants to the communities of Sitka, Wrangell, and Ketchikan are 

 being prepared at this time. And, number eight, my last point 

 where we can improve what we are doing, is a better job of listen- 

 ing to the people, and the best example I can use is the Tongass 

 Forest Plan Revision. 



We have been working intensely to revise the Tongass Land 

 Management Plan and continue to involve the public, the State 

 government, and other Federal agencies to assure that the needs 

 of the people of the Tongass and the United States are met in our 

 plan. 



Over the past month, public meetings have been held in 32 com- 

 munities in Southeast Alaska. Meetings were also held in Anchor- 

 age and Washington, D.C. Over 400 individuals have given oral 

 testimony and some 1,000 comments have been received for the 

 record. These comments are in addition to over 10,000 comments 

 already on file from previous public reviews. I would also like to 

 note that the regional forester just extended the public comment 

 period for the draft forest plan for a month, to August 26. 



In closing, let me reiterate that we are proud of the 130 years 

 of public ownership of these lands by the people of the United 

 States and the more than 90 years of resource stewardship by the 

 Forest Service and the relationships that we have built with our 

 neighbors, our partners, our customers, and our owners. We within 

 the Tongass are proud of our accomplishments for the people of 

 Alaska and the resources of the nation. The Forest Service has 

 managed and will continue to manage the Tongass with public 

 input, scientific and economic analysis, and sustainable natural re- 

 source practices, while complying with the law. We recognize that 

 improvements can be made in our management practices, but, as 

 I believe I have shown in my testimony, we are working diligently 

 to maximize the value of the Tongass National Forest to the resi- 

 dents of Southeast Alaska, as well as other owners of the Tongass 

 and the rest of the United States. 



I appreciated hearing from all the other panel witnesses today 

 and look forward to working with you, Mr. Chairman, to enhance 

 the uses and management of the resources of the Tongass National 

 Forest. 



That concludes my testimony, and I would be happy to answer 

 any questions you might have. 



[Statement of Mr. Morrison may be found at end of hearing.] 



Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Gary. 



This really is about decisionmaking. How has the decisionmaking 

 process changed as you became in charge of this region? 



Has it changed a great deal? 



