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TONGASS FA CT SHEET 



Forested Land 



•■ 10 million acres of the Tongass are forested with Sitka spruce, western hemlock and cedar. The remaining 6.9 milhon acres arc covered 



by rocks, ice and muskeg. 



► Of the 10 miUion forested acres on the Tongass, 6.4 million qualify as commercial forest land, capable of growing at least twenty cubic 

 feet of wood per acre per year. 



► The biological potential yield of the Tongass^ the amount of timber that could be harvested aimually without exceeding the forest's 

 annual growth rate, is much higher -- averagmg 1 .295 billion board feet per year. 



► Since 1909, only 500,000 acres of the Tongass have ever been harvested. 93% of all Tongass old growth remains standing today. 



► Much ofthe Tongass is unavailable for timber harvesting. Only 2.32 million acres (14% of the forest) are considered tentatively suitable 

 for timber harvest. Some 1.7 million of those acres are mcluded in the U.S. Forest Service's long-term harvest plan, allowing such areas 

 to be harvested over the next 100 to 150 years. 



* The remaining 86% of the forest is reserved for non-timber purposes, including 6.3 million acres of wilderness. 



Tongass Timber Reform Act 



► Congress added 1 million acres of wilderness as recently as 1990 with the Tongass Timber Reform Act (TTRA). 



► Even with TTRA, however, Congress left 1.7 million acres in the timber base to support Southeast Alaska's timber industry, an industry 

 responsible for 4,225 year-round jobs and a payroll of $138,921,271 in 1990, Combined federal payroll, personal and corporate income 

 taxes generated by the Southeast timber industry yield over $70 million a year to the U.S. Treasury. 



► Recent administrative action by the Forest Service has reduced the timber base even below the Congressionally designated level of 1 .7 

 million acres. Though there are no threatened or endangered species on the Tongass, 602,000 acres ofthe timber base have been 

 "reserved" for habitat conservation areas where no timber harvesting is allowed. 



Timber Contracts 



•■ The Tongass timber industry was once stabilized by two long-term, 50-year pulp mill contracts which the Forest Service solicited in the 



1 950s. The contracts were For a reliable timber supply sufficient to justify the massive capital investments required to build pulp mills 

 in Alaska. 



► The contract with the Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC) remains in force. If not extended, KPC's contract expires in 2004. Not only 

 does KPC generate more than 38% of total employment in Southeast Alaska, it also seeks to harvest sustaini)ly without harming other 

 forest values. Over the past five years KPC has invested more than $45 million in EPA-approved air and water quality controls and the 

 company recently unveiled a $200 million plan to improve pollution prevention and energy' efficiency. 



» The other contract, with the Alaska Pulp Company (APC). was unilaterally terminated by the Clinton Administration in 1994, 17 years 



before the contract was set to expire. Tne wrongful termination ofthe APC contract has exposed the federal goverrmient to a $1 billion 

 breach of contract damage claim and thrown thousands out of work. 



Clearcutting. Wildlife and Planning 



•■ Although controversial, clearcutting is the optimum method for harvesting timber on the Tongass. Clearcutting exposes soil to the sim, 



raising its temperature and thereby speeding up organic decomposition and improving soil productivity. Healthy stands of Sitka spruce 

 regenerate more quickly in open sites with disturbed soils. Clearcutting also aids in controlnng pests like dwarf mistletoe while 

 mmimizing windihrow and logging damage to residual trees. 



•■ ■ The health ofthe Tongass ecosystem is evidence that current forestry practices are sound. The commercial fish harvest in the waters of 



Southeast Alaska has increased from alow of less than 6 million salmon in 1975 to a record 76 million salmon in 1994. Ofthe 2,600 

 salmon streams on the Tongass only 20 are experiencing reduced fish runs. Four of these streams are in areas where logging has 

 occurred, 10 are in wilderness areas. 



► Wildlife populations are also on the rise. In 1993 Alaskans took 13.000 deer from the Tongass — an increase of 3,700 over 1991. 



► From an annual average of about 400 million board feet (MMBF). the Tongass timber harvest has been declining for severalyears due to 

 delayed and unreleased offerings. The Forest Service schedules offerings under the Tongass Land ManagementTlan (TLMP) which 



fuides the management ofthe Forest for a 10 to 15-year period before being revised. The first TLMP was completed in 1979 and the 

 orest Service began working on a revision in 1987. Nearly 10 years later the revision is still underway. 



•■ A draft ofthe revised TLMP was completed in 1991 which satisfied the timber supply requirements ofthe Tongass Timber Reform Act 



The Regional Forester's preferred "Alternative P" would have provided an armual harvest level of 418 MMBFTor 10 years. The draft 

 plan was shelved after the 1992 elections brought new administrators to the Forest Service who decided to start the revision over. Tlie 

 most recent (1996) supplement to the revision proposes an annual harvest of 297 MMBF — only about 20% of the forest's sustainable 

 yield. 



Timber Employment 



•■ Employment in the Alaska timber industry has dropped from 4,225 in 1990 to 2,396 in 1995, and the number of timber processing 



facilities has gone from 730 in 1990 to 427 in 1995. At the same time, the Forest Service has added 69 new permanent employees to the 

 Tongass and mcreased its budget -- from $88,079,393 in 1990 to $107,549,100 in 1995. 



» These changes are not market driven. In 1990, an Alaska Cedar sawlog was worth $515.90 per thousand board feet ($/MBF). In 1995 it 



was worth 5685.38 $/MBF. Over the next 15 years (1996-2010) the demand for sawlogs is projected to increase by 55%. 



► Analysts predict that recreation, fishing and tourism employment levels will remain constant — even if timber harvesting were to be 

 increased beyond current levels. 



