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Cloer-Testimony: H.R. 2153 Page? 



obviously causing an apprecieible effect when 64% of the plantations atx>ve 7400 

 feet elevation have enough damage to mention and 36% of these plantations have 

 25% or more of their trees damaged.' 



Page 12: 



'Although available knowledge is still far from perfect, enough is now known to 

 show that past actions have not been adequate to produce the growth upon which 

 our long term planning assumptions are based . To continue past action, and at the 

 same time expect relatively high yields from lands managed intensively for timber, 

 would be to create an unreconciled contradiction." 



Page 29: 



'Thus if one is willing to accept little or no decline in future yields from acres 

 harvested for regeneration, only 30% of our normal program is available for sale." 



("Little or no decline" is defined as 'low risk" which has a 20% chance of failure.) 



This 'low risk" volume would have been only 26 Million Board Feet(MMBF) in 1988; 

 compare this to their ASQ of 75 MMBF in 1988. 



Today you will hear testimony that Sequoia Forest's harvest levels are declining and 

 that the destructive overlogging of the past will no longer occur, yet Sequoia Forest 

 logged 59 MMBF in 1993. This can be verified from their own records. Despite their 

 claims to have new management direction, an ecosystem management emphasis, and 

 they have new information and guidelines concerning retention of Spotted Owl 

 Habitat, their level of harvest remains at least three times what the Forest can sustain. 



Based on the above quotes, clearly it had occurred to Sequoia Forest administrators 

 that gathering real data and applying principles of sound science to timber 

 management will result in a sharp decline in timber volumes; but there is no incentive 

 for gathering data which might result in a drastically reduced budget. So, bogus 

 studies are completed or studies are put off for one reason or another, and logging 

 continues as usual. But sooner or later nature will stop the pillage; continuing to log at 

 full speed witf>out scientific foundation is like running towards a cliff blindfolded while 

 assuring everyone that you won't get hurt because you can't see the danger. 



Watershed experts includin g Dr. G. Mathias Kondolf and Daniel P. Christenson will 

 be providing testimony concerning the vast amounts of watershed and fisheries 

 damage that intensive togging causes on Sequoia National Forest. 



Because of the overlogging. Sequoia Forest has found it neariy impossible to plan and 

 implement a timber sale which meets the requirements of its own Guidelines and 



