58 



cost of the precommercial thinning is paid for by this, and we feel 

 there are a lot of opportunities to increase that. 



Finally, there is a need for the Forest Service to operate in a 

 more cost-efficient manner, and I have a couple of examples both 

 in my rei>ort as well as in my testimony about the Forest Service 

 wasting money, and I might mention that the BLM also does that 

 same tnin^. 



Let me just touch briefly on the BLM. We have certainly heard 

 a lot of testimony about tnat. I would like to just talk a little bit 

 about the human element. One of our members was out the other 

 day looking at some BLM lands in northwest Oregon, and these are 

 lands that the BLM harvested 15 or 20 years ago, and he said that 

 because they haven't engaged in proper intensive management 

 these lands are essentially turning over to brush. 



I have heard all sorts of figures provided by the BLM of what 

 their precommercial thinning needs are, backlog needs are. Appar- 

 ently the latest one is 43,000 to 66,000 acres. My seat-of-the-pants 

 estimate is, it is 150,000 acres. I realize time is real short, and I 

 will just point out that we have heard a lot of testimony from the 

 BLM, and while they are current with their tree planting needs, 

 they are actually falling further and further behind on their 

 precommercial thinning and fertilization needs, and there are a 

 couple of charts in here that show quite distinctly the number of 

 acres accomplished has been declining since fiscal year 1991, and 

 there are a number of reasons for that. So I will just finish now. 



[Prepared statement of Mr. Desmond follows:] 



