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Cloer-Testimony: H.R. 2153 Page 6 



How can Sequoia Forest make statements like this? First they carefully redefine the 

 words "successful" and "stocked" and "suitable." If the seedlings haven't yet died 

 when they survey a unit (it is standard to look at merely 1% of a unit), they claim that 

 logging-as-usual is doing fine, no need to cut back logging volumes and related 

 budgets. With their definitions, the only lands that could be "unsuitable" woukj be 

 those too remote for replanting crews to reach. 



This report does not tell us what we really need to know: the age of the trees, the 

 height, diameter, rate of growth, condition, and species. Their method counts nearly 

 anything as a tree, whether Giant Sequoia or newly planted seedling, commercially 

 valuable Ponderosas or invasions of lodgepole pine. Using this method, if I had 

 enough seedlings and manpower, I could keep Death Valley stocked with trees and 

 this report would call it a successful plantation; the only problem would be that in 100 

 years this "successful" plantatran would still have only freshly planted seedlings. 



am submitting copies of these documents which critk^ue the Reforestation Report with 

 this testimony. 



Ordinary citizens can take the Report, request the maps, tocate the units, and walk 

 through the brush looking for seedlings or for trees. We can drive through or fly over 

 okJ cut-over units and see for ourselves that it will be hundreds of years before the 

 trees are mature enough for relogging, and some areas have been permanently 

 converted to high elevation desert. We can also dig into Sequoia Forest's own files 

 and read in-house reports whrch include some alarming information. Here are some 

 quotes from a report called. "Plantation Performance on the Sequoia National Forest, 

 Timber Harvest Implrcations and Data Needs," 1988. 



Page 9: 



"...It Is dear that neither past growth nor current growth is at a level that will altow 

 harvests as early as projected.." 



page 10: 



"...Is the growth estimate of 31% of nominal., (and) a reasonable estimate of 

 what is actually occurring on the Sequoia NF? The answer is clearly "yes." " 



"Numerous plantations on the Forest "look realty good", however, only two out of 30 

 sampled demonstrated diameters or heights that were greater than nominal." 



Page 1 1 : 



"The effect of snow damage on present growth was not evaluated... However it is 



