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DIoer-Testimony: H.R. 2153 Page 4 



It should be clear that southern Sierra Nevada forests are extremely fragile; the 

 wildlife and plants are at the very edge of their range of life. It is also clear what 

 geography dictates; the southern Sierra is not suited for conversion to heavy industrial 

 commercial logging. But that is what the Forest Service is trying to do. The Forest 

 Plan calls for converting most of our fragile, southern conifer zone into sterile pine tree 

 farms. This not only destroys natural ecosystems, but, adding insult to injury, these tree 

 farms are unsuccessful. Clearcut areas are much hotter and dryer than before logging 

 and often cannot support conifers again in the near future. Surviving plantations grow 

 very slowly. 



However, rather than reducing the amount of logging and using less destructive 

 methods, Sequoia Forest writes reports which look only for data to support "business 

 as usual." such as their Reforestation Report, dated June 1991 , written by Sequoia 

 Forest Silviculturalist, Rot>ert Rogers. 



This report was written to meet both the requirements of the National Forest 

 Management Act for determining that logging occur only where "stocking can be 

 assured within 5 years of logging," and the requirement of the MSA for getting "real" 

 figures upon which to base an Allowable Sale Quantity. 



Sequoia Forest is currently circulating this report to the media, to Congress, and to the 

 Federal Courts; they characterize this report as 'a complete description of 

 reforestation efforts on the SNF," and state that the Repwrt concludes that there are no 

 reforestation problems on Sequoia Forest. 



The California Native Plant Society, the Sierra Club, and The Wilderness Society have 

 had California Registered Foresters review and critkjue the Reforestation Report. The 

 findings of these professional foresters is unanimous and alarming. 



Gordon Robinson, professional forester, author of The Forest and the Trees and expert 

 in managing for true sustained yield and multiple use, reviewed this report and writes, 

 'I find tf>e report to be fraudulent and unacceptable. It is a typical example of the 

 Forest Service's practice of manipulating information to come up with preconceived 

 conclusions." 



California Registered Forester Dr. Robert J. Hrubes strongly criticizes Sequoia Forest's 

 Reforestation Report of 1991 in his Declaratron of 7/19/93. Some of his points include: 



'(Sequoia's) assertions that 93% of the SNPs plantations are adequately stocked 

 are without factual basis." 



The SNF ... completely avoid(ed) the most fundamental issue -- whether 

 reforestation performance was adequate, as defined by statute, regulation, regional 



