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founded on a pactern of logging the very best stands of high volume old growth 



forest. The pulp mills have profited greatly from this de facto policy. But 



the other hard-working citizens who depend on the Tongass like commercial 



fishermen, recreation business owners, subsistence users, and residents of 



southeast Alaska's rural communities stand to lose from this short-sighted 



policy. The pattern of high-grading is clear: 



Since 1950, over one-half of the highest volume old 

 growth (greater than 50,000 board feet per acre in 

 volume) has already been logged. 



Of the remaining highest volume timber, one-half will 

 be logged by the end of the 50-year contracts in 20 

 years . 



The average volume cut on the Tongass before 1980 was 

 48,000 board feet per acre. 



The average volume naturally occurring on the Tongass is only 

 21,000 board feet per acre. 



The Tongass Land Management Plan called for cutting an 

 average volume of 25,000 board feet per acre. 



The average volume actually cut from 1980 to 1986 was 

 54,000 board feet per acre. 



The Forest Service claims it is not allowing the forest to be 



high- graded under TLMP or in practice. However, the Forest Service is making 



two very inappropriate assumptions implicit in this claim. First, TLMP 



cutting targets ignore the fact that one -half of the highest volume old growth 



was already logged from 1950 to the time the plan was implemented. Second, 



the Forest Service justifies targeting high volume old growth for clear 



cutting in excess of its natural occurrence on the forest by stating that the 



second growth forest will average more wood fiber per acre. While this may be 



true from a silvicultural or tree farm point of view, this assumption 



completely ignores the scientific evidence showing that the ecological 



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