Appendix II 

 Additional Material Submitted for the Record 



SEACC FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS 



on 



THE SENATE ENERGY COMMITTEE HEARINGS 



THE TONGASS TIMBER REFORM ACT 



FEBRUARY 28, 1989 



1. Senator Murkowski claimed that 4423 direct jobs were dependent on Tongass 

 timber harvest in 1988. 



RESPONSE: The Forest Service reported that only 1781 direct jobs were 

 dependent on Tongass timber harvest in 1988. 



2. Senator Stevens claimed that 10,000 direct and indirect jobs were provided 

 by the Southeast Alaska timber industry in 1988. 



RESPONSE: In sharp contrast, the Forest Service reported thac 5684 direct and 

 indirect jobs were provided by the southeast Alaska timber industry in 1988. 

 This includes direct and indirect jobs from Tongass National Forest cutting 

 harvest, private and Native logging and cutting on State lands. According to 

 the Forest Service, direct and indirect jobs from Tongass logging totalled 

 3385 jobs in 1988. 



5. Senator Murkowski claimed that S.346 would reduce Tongass harvest by 

 one -half. 



RESPONSE: If S.346 was passed it would not automatically reduce the Tongass 

 harvest at all. First, under S.346 the Forest Service could still pursue its 

 "added investment" timber program. Chief of the Forest Service Dale Robertson 

 reported to the Senate in 1987 that passing the Tongass Timber Reform Act 

 would mean that "...the added investments that were designed to offset some 

 of the increased costs of bringing more marginal timber into the timber 

 scheduled for harvest would be subject to annual review by the Congress." 

 Second, the 23 key fish and wildlife areas in S.346 are only granted a 

 temporary moratorium . SEACC, the Congressional Budget Office, and the 

 American Forestry Association have noted that a moratorium of this magnitude 

 will not have a significant effect on timber supplies available to the timber 

 industry. Even if_ all 23 areas were granted permanent protection by law the 

 amount of scheduled timber would only be reduced by 11 percent according to 

 Forest Service reports. 



4. Senator Murkowski asserted that S. 346 would reduce the sustained yield 

 capacity of the Tongass forest by 2.27 billion board feet per decade. 



RESPONSE: According to Forest Service reports, the sustained yield capacity 

 of the Tongass forest would only be reduced by .49 (less than one-half) 

 billion board feet per decade -- not 2.27 billion. 



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