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hundreds of acres that needed to be replanted. They saw that as 

 a backlog. We saw it as a big workload. We have gotten on top of 

 that workload. So that I think is the problem, Mr. Smith. 



Mr. Smith. So you have corrected that tree-planting backlog? 



Mr. Penfold. Absolutely. We have gotten right on top of it. 



Mr. Smith. And do you think the IG has recognized that in their 

 report? 



Mr. Penfold. I think that the IG understands pretty well where 

 we are right now in terms of their current comments that we just 

 heard, and again we are happy to have them take another close 

 look at it with the audit that is coming up. 



Mr. Smith. I might just note in passing, while access to BLM 

 lands across private lands may have delayed some timber sales, 

 with the run-up in the cost of lumber and timber that is the wisest 

 thing that has happened to this country probably, as far as looking 

 at the benefits to the Treasury. 



By the way, on this question of timber-planting backlog, I 

 thought there was a real attack by ABC News on Dean Bibles a 

 week or so ago, and I thought he was condemned imfairly because 

 I think this issue was part of the condemnation of Mr. Bibles. As 

 I understand it, that initial IG report came out in 1989, or the one 

 before this current one. Mr. Bibles didn't come on board until 1990. 

 I understand that IG report had already been detailed and written. 

 Is that correct? 



Mr. Penfold. Mr. Smith, that is absolutely right, and as an 

 aside on that, I think that criticism of Dean Bibles was totally un- 

 fair and inappropriate. Dean has provided excellent leadership. As 

 these figures that I have just presented to this committee have 

 pointed out, he has provided excellent leadership to get that work 

 done. 



Mr. Smith. I understand the IG also was critical of the BLM los- 

 ing money because of slow access acquisition. This item up here of 

 $2 billion, is that possible? 



Mr. Shepard. Mr. Smith, as I understand the $2 billion, that fig- 

 ure was based on a worst case scenario. That if we did not do the 

 plantation maintenance, I believe it was 108,000 acres that the IG 

 reported, and we lost all of the plantations and had to go in and 

 site prep, perhaps, and replant, and the potential growth that we 

 would lose over the rotation, the 80 years, would be about $2 bil- 

 lion worth of growth. 



Of course, our top priority is tree planting and reforestation, so 

 that would not occur. That was just a probability. 



Mr. Smith. All right. Chief Robertson, does the Forest Service 

 have a tree planting backlog? 



Mr. Robertson. No, sir. 



Mr. Smith. Tell me again, review for me again the process or the 

 procedure. I understand by law you have to replant and reseed 

 within a period of time. How many trees do you replant versus one 

 you cut? 



Mr. Robertson. Well, it is probably 30-40 trees that we plant 

 per one tree cut because as you remove a big tree you replace it 

 with a lot of small trees. 



Mr. Smith. I understand also that in some cases because of 

 weather restraints and other problems those reforestation pro- 



