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diversity of high volume old growth stands cannot be replicated by second 

 growth. The critical value of these high volume stands as the best fish and 

 wildlife habitat will be permanently reduced. 



SEACC SUPPORTS WILDERNESS FOR KEY FISH AND WILDLIFE AREAS. The Society of 

 American Foresters has stated that "the best way to manage for old growth is 

 to conserve an adequate supply of present stands and leave them alone . " SEACC 

 supports wilderness designation for additional key fish and wildlife, 

 recreation and tourism, subsistence, and scientific research areas. 

 Guaranteed safeguards afford more than the simple protection of land, habitat, 

 and wildlife. They also protect the resource base for our fisheries and 

 tourism industries and for the subsistence way of life. Permanent protection 

 of the 23 areas in S . 346 would honor both the wild spirit of this land which 

 binds us to it, and its ability to sustain us through Its support of our cash 

 and subsistence economies. 



S.346 provides only a temporary moratorium on logging and road 

 building. This is the only weakness in the bill; however, we consider it to 

 be a major one. We have lost faith in the ability and will of the Forest 

 Service to fairly and objectively manage this forest. We consider a 

 moratorium pending publication of the next Tongass Land Management Plan to be 

 nothing more than a "stay of execution" for these extremely important areas. 



SEIACC believes that 22 of these areas deserve permanent protection 

 by Congress as additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System. For 

 the Yakutat Forelands we support a special management designation that would 

 provide permanent protection from logging and road building while still 

 permitting the significant existing level of motorized vehicle use required to 



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