71 



is a land swap limber lands for 



wilderness They propose that any 

 acreage taken from the existing timber 

 base be exchanged with land now in 

 wilderness, on a board foot by board 

 foot basis. The environmental com- 

 munity has been reluctant to go along. 

 There is a common denominator in 

 all the controversy. Nearly all agree 

 that timber is imporunt to the regional 

 economic picture, that diversification 

 of the economy is important, that log- 

 ging is acceptable if it doesn't preclude 

 I other uses in the forest, that "wise 

 • resource use" is the best prescription 

 for the land. The problem has been that 

 the doctors who have been writmg the 

 prescriptions for "wise use" haven't 

 been able to look at the big picture, just 

 their own special mlerest, like logging 

 or wilderness or subsistence or 

 fisheries. 



What is needed are rational people 

 with rational ideas to sort the truth 

 from the emotion, the facts from the 

 misstatements and fluff and, more im- 

 portantly, to come up with a consensus. 

 There seems to be no one in the mid- 

 dle calling for moderation and com- 

 promise. The Tongass Land Manage- 

 ment Use Plan may be such a vehicle 

 1; of compromise, but its findings, sug- 

 ' gestions, and alternatives may not see 

 the light of Congress before sweeping 

 legislation comes. ^ 



OUR LAND 19 



