103 



Senator Murkowski. You continue giving those quality items 

 special attention an3rway, as part of your overall responsibility, and 

 you are getting a message that says give them a priority which is, I 

 gather, rather difficult to do in your planning process. 



Mr. Leonard. We think we provide a proper balance between the 

 use of the timber, recreation, fisheries and protection of biological 

 diversity and other values on that forest. 



Senator Murkowski. My last question: I wonder if you could give 

 the Committee the effects of carbon absorptions in managed versus 

 unmanaged forests, since this is an issue that has come up? What 

 does the Tongass do in relationship to our concern over the warm- 

 ing trend? What does it do about assimilating CO2? 



Mr. Leonard. Senator Murkowski, it is our general understand- 

 ing of the carbon cycle that young, growing forests are more effi- 

 cient in the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than 

 unmanaged, mature forests such as most of the Tongass National 

 Forest at this time. 



We do not believe that the management of the Tongass contrib- 

 utes significantly to the problem — in fact, as you stated, it actually 

 serves as a carbon sink for removing carbon dioxide from the at- 

 mosphere and converting it into wood fiber. 



Senator Murkowski. So, when you say a sink, you are talking 

 about a concentration absorbing CO2? 



Mr. Leonard. Right. It represents a long-term removal of CO2 

 from the atmosphere. 



Senator Murkowski. You may say it is part of an answer rather 

 than part of the problem. 



Mr. Leonard. I think that is a fair statement. 



Senator Murkowski. We have occasionally tried to burn slash 

 and it is ordinarily difficult. What is the 30-second practice? You 

 cut the trees and then they start growing back and the regrowth 

 cycle is — give us a layman's response of what happens when you 

 clear cut. 



Mr. Leonard. Following clear cutting on the Tongass, because of 

 the very favorable moisture, temperature and growth conditions, 

 we get a very rapid replacement of that stand with a multitude — 

 sometimes as many as 10,000-15,000 seedlings per acre, and a very 

 rapid growth. 



Senator Murkowski. The seedlings, are these planted or 



Mr. Leonard. They are natural seedlings. The area reseeds itself. 

 The nature of the species, the moisture conditions are such that 

 the seedlings grow well in organic matter. You get out on the 

 forest and it is not unusual, for example, to find an old hemlock or 

 spruce growing right on the bole of a previous tree that had fell 

 maybe 100 or 200 years ago, and it is still in place there. 



There is very little decay that takes place because of the relative- 

 ly cool, moist climate, so you have a large accumulation of organic 

 matter on the forest floor, and the nature of the species we have 

 growing there does not require that matter be removed in order to 

 get regeneration. 



Senator Murkowski. Finally, tell us about this area of percent- 

 age, in excess of 40 percent, that is not suitable for conversion into 

 lumber and finds its way into the pulp market. Is that dying 

 timber, old timber, stock growth? 



