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STATEMENT OF MARY MUNSON, PUBLIC LANDS ASSOCIATE, 

 DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE, WASHINGTON, D.C. 



Ms. MuNSON. Thank you. My name is Mary Munson, Public 

 Lands Associate for Defenders of Wildlife. We are a national orga- 

 nization with over 150,000 members nationwide. I thank you for 

 the opportunity to comment, and in the interest of time I will sum- 

 marize my comments and ask that my full testimony be 



The Chairman. Without objection. 



[Statement of Mary Munson may be found at end of hearing.] 



Ms. Munson. The Tongass is owned not only by Alaskans but by 

 all Americans, and the issues involved with Ketchikan Pulp Com- 

 pany's performance are of national significance and not simply pa- 

 rochial economic or jobs issues. The Tongass is one of the world's 

 largest intact temperate rainforest, home to over 300 wildlife spe- 

 cies, many of which depend on old-growth forests. All Americans 

 have an interest in ensuring that present and future generations 

 will benefit from recreation, beauty, and resources there. Congress 

 has a duty to oversee its management by allowing only sustainable 

 logging consistent with habitat protection. Extending the KPC con- 

 tract on the terms of H.R. 3659 would be a violation of that duty. 



The National Forest Management Act requires that the Forest 

 Service provide for the diversity of plant and animal communities. 

 The Tongass Land Management Plan, which is now undergoing re- 

 vision, is an attempt to create a blueprint for ensuring that logging 

 activities in the Tongass are consistent with those legal require- 

 ments. 



Activities taking place under the KPC contract, including the an- 

 nual volume of timber to be supplied, should be covered by a forest 

 plan. So why isn't this proposed contract renewal taking place 

 within the context of the TLMP provision? This bill would ride 

 roughshod over the TLMP process and force the Forest Service to 

 provide a high volume of trees regardless of the environmental, 

 economic, recreational, social, and ecological costs. 



We believe the Forest Service simply cannot guarantee KPC the 

 contractual volume, provide timber for independent contractors and 

 still meet the requirements of NFMA to maintain viable popu- 

 lations. Significantly the definition of viable populations means 

 only that there are enough individuals for that population to exist. 

 It does not mean there will be enough individuals that will be left 

 for subsistence, hunting, viewing, and other types of uses on which 

 Alaskans and the rest of the country depend. As long as the KPC 

 contract is in existence, timber will be the first priority and wild- 

 life, along with the other forest resources, will take a back seat. 



The area yielding much of KPC's supply is the Prince of Wales 

 Island. One of the last remaining unprotected wildlife habitats on 

 the island is the region of Honker Divide. Pressure to fulfill the 

 high-volume requirements of the extended contract would surely 

 open these areas up to KPC logging. This would require building 

 many roads into it to reach the denser, more economically worth- 

 while stands. Examples of wildlife whose viability could be affected 

 include the Alexander Archipelago wolf, river otter, Franklin's 

 spruce grouse, flying squirrel, and Vancouver Canada goose. I could 

 go on. 



