11 



[The prepared statement of Ms. Eshoo appears at the conclusion 

 of the hearing.] 



Ms. Eshoo. I would also like to submit for the record, Mr. Chair- 

 man, this. It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand 

 words, and with your permission, I would like to ask that, starting 

 with Mr. Dooley, this just be passed around for the Members to 

 look at, and thank you again for allowing me to testify here this 

 morning. 



Mr. Rose. Thank you very much for coming. The pictures will be 

 made a part of the file that will accompany the record, and we ap- 

 preciate your testimony. 



Our last panel member, the Honorable Arthur Ravenel, Jr., 

 Member of Congress from the State of South Carolina. 



STATEMENT OF HON. ARTHUR RAVENEL, JR., A REPRESENTA- 

 TIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROUNA 



Mr. Ravenel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the oppor- 

 tunity to appear before you today. 



You and I both come from the Southeast, you from North Caro- 

 lina and me from South Carolina. I imagine some of the panel 

 members would wonder why in the world a Congressman like me, 

 over 3,000 miles away, would come to express an interest in the 

 preservation of the ecosystem in which these giant sequoias grow. 



Ever since I have been a Member of Congress, I have heard 

 about the way the Forest Service was assisting in the devastation 

 of the ancient forests of the Northwest and the western areas of 

 our country. 



Three years ago, I availed myself of an opportunity to go and see 

 just exactly what was going on. We toured some of the ancient for- 

 ests of the west coast, and when we got to the Olympic Peninsula, 

 where the central portion of the peninsula is occupied by the Olym- 

 pic National Park, and then we took a look at what was going on 

 and being permitted by the Forest Service in the Olympic National 

 Forest, I came away just absolutely outraged, disgusted, and em- 

 barrassed that the U.S. Grovemment, through its Forest Service, 

 was permitting the devastation to go on out there, which was and 

 in some instances — in some instances — is still going on. 



I would like to identify myself with the remarks made by the 

 lady who preceded me from California insofar as the cost figures 

 of the timber sales going on out there. 



Now, where you and I come from, Mr. Chairman, a 100-foot 

 loblolly pine is something to behold. Very few get to be that high. 

 When I went out there and walked in those ancient forests and 

 looked up at trees 250 to 300 feet high, I could hardly believe my 

 eyes that such marvels of nature existed, and that they are threat- 

 ened in any way just appalls me. 



And so I enthusiastically endorse Mr. Brown's legislation and 

 certainly hope that this subcommittee will look favorably upon it. 



We have in South Carolina just remnants of ancient forests. Very 

 near Charleston, we have the Biedler Forest, which is an area of 

 only 3,500 acres — that is all — of what we call down there virgin for- 

 est, not ancient forest, but it is the same thing. This is a swamp 

 of bald cypress, and we have trees there that are estimated to be 



