68 



Intensive management activities 



Like the Forest Service, the BLM has committed itself to high levels of 

 intensive management activities on its lands. Under the new proposed draft 

 resource management plans, the Eugene District BLM proposes that 1 1 % of 

 its preferred alternative's ASQ is attributable to pre-commercial thinning, 

 fertilization, and conversion activities. The Coos Bay District BLM attributes 

 13.4% of its ASQ to intensive management activities. 



The Office of Inspector General released an audit report on BLM's forestry 

 operations in western Oregon in September 1 990. The report found that the 

 agency "had not performed the planned levels of plantation maintenance, 

 precommercial thinning, fertilization, and timber stand conversions. 

 Consequently, timber growth with an estimated net value of $90 million in 

 future revenues was lost during fiscal years 1986 and 1989. The 

 Government and the 18 counties will continue to lose about $21 million in 

 timber growth annually as long as the present backog in plantation 

 maintenance exists" (excerpted from the summary report). 

 As you will recall, the GIG repeated those charges before this subcommitee 

 in February 1993. 



Despite the report, the backlog is increasing. Due to budget shortfalls and 

 certain budget priorities by the BLM to preserve its own staff, the BLM did 

 not perform any pre-commercial thinning activities in FY '92. For FY '93, the 

 BLM is proposing to reduce the pre-commercial thinning program to one tenth 

 the previous levels of FY 90 and FY 91 . 



There is considerable confusion over the size of the backlog. BLM and OIG 

 inspectors now apparently claim that the backlog in western Oregon is as 

 follows: 



• 46,000 acres in tree planting 



• 43,000 acres in pre-commercial thinning 



• 101,000 acres in fertilization 



• 6,600 acres in stand conversion 



Our association, however, is very skeptical of those figures. In a letter to 

 Representative Wyden in February 1993, we estimated that the pre- 

 commercial thinning backlog was likely in the range of 150,000 to 200,000 

 acres - based upon the number of acres planted by the BLM over the last 

 decade. 



The acreage accomplishments for the BLM in western Oregon are shown in 

 the following table: 



