77 



THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST — REFORESTATION AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON 

 NATIONAL FORESTS ARE SOUND 



Reforestation and timber stand improvement acreage in Region 6 were at near- 

 record levels this past year. In 1992, on Region 6 national forests, almost 130,000 

 acres were reforested, with timber stand improvement activities extended to more 

 than 76,000 acres. 



Regenerated forests are rtu'ely comprised of a sinele species. Planting and the 

 planned reseeding and sprouting by residual trees ana shrubs result in a reflection 

 of the natural diversity of the region. All forest conditions, not just old growth, are 

 important components of the forest ecosystem and part ojf the biological diversitv. 

 The "original" natural condition of the Pacific Northwest forest was a mosaic of old 

 growth and young, mostly even-aged stands that resulted from fire, insects and dis- 

 ease. I would like to submit for the record the publication The Truth About Ameri- 

 ca's Forests" which visually depicts the forest stand age classes of the Pacific North- 

 west in the year 1850. 



More than 30 percent of the national forests in Oregon and Washington are old 

 growth — some 6.29 million acres. More than half of this old growth (3.3 million 

 acres) is in wilderness and other land classifications where timber harvesting is not 

 permitted. Further, on National Parks and other public lands, there are at least an 

 additional one million acres of old growth in the two states. 



SATELLITE IMAGERY OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST— NASA NEEDS TO COME DOWN TO 



EARTH 



Over the course of the last several months, numerous newspaper articles have 

 featured reprints of satellite imagery comparing approximately 500 square miles of 

 the Mt. Hood National Forest near Timothy Lake with a location in the Amazon 

 Basin. Drawing any kind of conclusions on reforestation from 670 miles away is, at 

 best, impossible. In addition, any experienced forester will tell you that questioning 

 U.S. forest management practices based on comparing these imageries is ludicrous. 



Satellite imagery uses reflected light to develop contrasts. Young forests and 

 ground covered with shrub vegetation reflect more light than older forests. For this 

 reason the younger forests, 3-40 years of age, will resemble bare areas and contrast 

 sharply with the older forests surrounding them. I would like to submit for the 

 record photos taken from conventional aircraft which show areas identified as "bare" 

 by the NASA satellite imagery, which are in fact, fully forested. These pictures show 

 an area fully stocked with 10-20 year old trees with management prescriptions fully 

 preserving the ecological integrity and diversity of the site. 



The Mt. Hood National Forest planted 3.8 million trees in 1992 — about five trees 

 for each harvested. Based on our experience in the area, about 95 percent of these 

 trees will survive. Over the last 40 years, approximately 180,000 acres of this na- 

 tional forest has been harvested and regenerated. This amounts to only 16 percent 

 of the total forested acreage. 



Perhaps it was simply an unfortunate oversight that the NASA satellite imagery 

 does not include the six wilderness areas and the Spotted Owl Conservation Areas 

 which together comprise nearly 500,000 acres on the Mt. Hood. The areas shown 

 in the press includes part of the Mt. Hood and the Warm Springs Indian Reserva- 

 tion that have been fragmented by harvesting. As described above, this fragmenting 

 has been a natural process of the forests of the Pacific Northwest. In my view, and 

 in the view of most foresters, replacing wildlife and losses to insects and disease 

 with harvesting and reforestation makes sense. 



As I stated above, inferring that this nation's commitment to forest management 

 practices are somehow inferior to those of a developing country is absolutely entirely 

 false and unfair. While there will continue to be debate at the margins over forest 

 management in the U.S., everyone agrees on the fact that forest management in 

 this country is founded on sound science, continuously improves by implementing 

 new technology, and is guided by the most environmentally sensitive laws, policies, 

 and regulations in the world. 



THE PROBLEM IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS TIMBER SUPPLY 



The national timber supply situation has now reached a state of crisis. There is 

 no evidence that it will abate in the foreseeable future. While some factors are tem- 

 porary, such as court injunctions, even temporary impediments are becoming perma- 

 nent because of their persistence and cumulative impacts. Every obstacle is put in 

 the way of a stable and predictable timber supply. 'This is not a crisis brought on 

 by biological constraints, rather it is driven by politics and policies. As I mentioned 

 aoove, growth far exceeds harvests in this nation. 



