45 



timber supply below the level necessary to support the Southeast 

 Alaska timber industry at historic levels of employment. 



What our bill does do is repeal the off-budget appropriation for the 

 Tongass timber program and the requirement that the Forest Service 

 make 4.5 billion board feet of timber available to the dependent 

 industry each decade. We would only require that a sufficient 

 amount of the land outside existing wilderness remain in multiple 

 use management to support the timber dependent Southeast Alaska 

 communities on a sustainable basis. 



Before addressing the legislative alternatives, I want to direct the 

 Committee's attention toward a few maps I have brought to better 

 acquaint members with the Tongass National Forest. 



