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commercial forest land off limits to harvest. Now, an 

 effort is being made to reach back and re-draw the lines in 

 the Tongass. 



There are real issues of timber management in the 

 Tongass. I have joined with Senator Murkowski in an effort 

 to correct problems which have surfaced, and will discuss 

 them shortly. But those should not be used as a cloak for 

 efforts to shut down the timber industry, or to increase 

 wilderness designations in the Tongass. 



The timber industry is a critical part of Southeast 

 Alaska's economy. During 1988, it provided more that 10,000 

 direct and indirect jobs. It provides year round employment 

 in a region otherwise dependent on seasonal industries. It 

 is one of three roughly equal sectors, along with tourism 

 and fishing. Southeast Alaska has the most diversified 

 economy in our State, and as a result today it is probably 

 the healthiest part of my state. 



Much of Alaska has suffered through an economic slump 

 since the bottom dropped out of the oil market. However, 

 Southeast Alaska has done fairly well through this period. 

 One reason is that, since 1986, the timber industry has been 

 making steady gains since historic low markets in the early 

 1980s. A threat to the timber industry is a threat to the 

 stability of this region of my state. 



And yet there i^ a threat to timber harvesting in the 

 Tongass. The charge has been made that the Forest Service 

 is losing money selling timber from the Tongass. I have 

 always wondered if those who level this charge have thought 

 out the policy they seem to espouse. 



