300 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS 



Professionals advancing the science, technology, practice and 



teaching of forestry to benefit society 



S400 Grosvenor Lane • Bethesda. Maryland 20814-2198 • (301)897 8720 



Telex: 9102501089 SAFFOREST UO 



PRESIDENT 



JAV H CRAVENS 



VICE PRESIDENT 



ARTHUR V SMYTH 

 Consolting Foresle* 

 Alexandria Va 



EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT 



IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT 



CARL H STOLTENBERG 

 Dean. Colieoe of Fotestfy 

 Oregon Slate univatsnv 

 Corvallis. 0(e 



April 3, 1989 



The Honorable Dale Bumpers 



Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 



United States Senate 



Washington, DC 20515-6150 



Dear Senator Bumpers: 



COUNCIL MEMBERS 



WILLIAM J BARTON 

 Consullani 

 Savannah Ga 



GERI VANDEflVEER BERGEN 



Foteal Supervisor 

 Tafioe National Foresi 

 USDA Forest Service 

 Nevada City Ca 



F BRYAN CLARK 

 Consultant 

 Annandale. Va 



JANE A DIFLEY 

 Regional Manager 

 Nonheasiern Region 

 American Forest Council (NY) 

 Bennington Vt 



FREDERICK W EBti. 

 Region Timber Manager 

 WTO lnOoSlr.es 

 SpoKane Wa 



JAMES 6 HULL 

 Associate Oueclor 

 Teias Forest Service 

 College Station, Tex 



lEONAHO A KILIAN, JR 

 State Forester 



Souir^ Carolina Forestrv Comm 

 Colomtj.a, SC 



jOhN W MOSER jR 



Professor of Forest Biometry 



Oepartmeni o' Forestry & Natural R«BOurc*S 



Purdue University 



West Lafayette In 



THOMAS W OSTERMANN 

 Staff Forester 



Forest Management and Utilisation 

 Colorado Stale Forest Service 

 Fori Collins Co 



GERALD A ROSE 

 Directoi/Staie Foresier 

 Minnesota Oopartmenl ol 

 Natural Resources 



DONALD R TMEOE 



Staff Forester 



OeDarimsni of Natural Ra»oufC«3 



Stale ol Washington 



Enumclaw, Wa 



Thank you for allowing the Society of American Foresters to 

 present our views on the Tongass National Forest. As you are 

 well aware, the Tongass contains some of the most valuable 

 commodity and non-commodity resources in the country. In order 

 to make equitable decisions, the Society encourages Congress will 

 coaplement philosophical positioning with technical information 

 that balances local needs with national objectives. 



The Society does not advocate one land use over another, but 

 believes that forest resources should be managed in accordance 

 with landowner objectives and in a manner that will perpetuate 

 those resource in the future. Wilderness designation, long-term 

 contracts, and multiple-use designations are all viable 

 management options to serve different priorities. The Society 

 has not stated that the Tongass should be managed for multiple- 

 use, but that if it is, the spirit of the Act should be followed. 



The Society believes the Forest Service can balance the 

 various resources of the forest given the timber supply demands 

 of the long-term contracts, although balance is in the eye of 

 the beholder. In this regard, the Multiple Use-Sustained Yield 

 Act (1960) does not dictate balance of uses, but the 

 interrelationship of uses. If one argues that high volume 

 ( >50mbf/acre) old growth comprise the only valuable stands for 

 wildlife, aesthetics, recreation, water quality, and subsistence, 

 then the current balance - 9% high volume old growth protected 

 and 91Z medium to low volume old growth available for harvest - 

 may be questionable. 54.3% of this high volume old growth is 

 scheduled for harvest over the length of the rutat ion. However, 

 28% and 37% of medium and low volume classes respectively are 

 preserved. In total, 36% of the timber base is in wilderness and 

 64% is available for harvest. 



