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Bumper* Q&A 4/3 



QUESTION 6. In last year's followup answers to this Committee, you stated that the very best Tongass timt>er 

 stands (50,000 board feet per acre or greater) comprise only 1.6 percent of the entire Tongass land base. 

 What is the average volume per acre of stands that have been logged on the Tongass since 1 980? 



ANSWER: There appears to tie some confusion about last year's answer regarding the 50,000 t>oard 

 feet per acre stands. These stands comprise 1 .6 percent of the total commercial forest land on the 

 Tongass National Forest, not 1 .6 percent of the entire Tongass land base. 



There is also some confusion in regard to the volume harvested per acre since 1 980. The calculation 

 has been made by several individuals to portray timber harvest volumes as the item to monitor for 

 compliance to timber scheduled in the Forest Plan. This has been done by dividing scaled volume by 

 acres reported harvested in a fiscal year. 



Monitoring the Forest Plan cannot be done in this manner. Once timber is made available for harvest, 

 the Forest Service does not fully control the scheduling. For example, some of the timber sold since 

 1 980 remains unharvested in contracts yet to be completed. 



Conformance with and monitoring of the Forest Plan is actually done on the basis of the volume made 

 available. The average volume per acre made available since 1980 is about 31 MBF. Using this 

 measure shows that when harvest of this volume is completed, the volume per acre of harvest will 

 conform with the Forest Plan goal. At present, the average volume per acre harvested from the timber 

 made available has been about 39 MBF. However, it must be stressed that when the harvesting on 

 existing contracts is complete, it will be in conformance with the plan goals. 



QUESTION 7. What is the average volume per acre found currently on commercial forest lands in the 

 Tongass? 



ANSWER: The average volume per acre for the total unharvested commercial forest land is about 20 

 MBF. 



EXISTING TONGASS WILDERNESS 



QUESTION 1 . Did the creation of 5.5 million acres of wilderness in the Tongass take away from the timber 

 base in the contract areas of either of the pulp mills? 



ANSWER: Yes, the creation of West Chichagof-Yakobi and the South Baranof Wilderness areas 

 removed land from the primary contract area of the APC sale. 



QUESTION 2. How many acres of high-volume old-growrth forest are protected within existing wilderness 

 areas? How much of that acreage would be accessible and suitable for timber han/est if not in wilderness? 



ANSWER: There are 184,000 acres of 30,000 board feet per acre or greater, in Wilderness, with 

 1 22,000 acres suitable for timber harvest. 



QUESTION 3. How much of all the 'high value"-as described in the 1979 forest plan-fish and wildlife habitat 

 is protected in existing Tongass Wilderness? 



ANSWER: ANILCA designated Wilderness includes 139 of 490 high-value fisheries habitat areas and 

 87 of 294 high-value wildlife areas identified in the Forest Plan. In addition, 65 high-value fisheries 



