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THE lAIILDLIFE SOCIETY 



5410 Grosvenor Lane • Bethesda, MD 20614 • Tel. (XI) 897-9770 



27 March 1989 



The Honorable J. Bennett Johnston, Chairman 

 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

 SD-364 Dirksen Senate Office Building 

 Washington, DC 20510 



Dear Chairman Johnston: 



Thank you for this opportunity to present the position of The 

 Wildlife Society on the effects of Tongass National Forest 

 management on wildlife resources. The Wildlife Society is the 

 international association of wildlife managers and represents 

 over 8,400 members from all segments of the wildlife profession. 

 The Society has chapters thoughout North America, and our Alaska 

 Chapter is actively involved in promoting ecologically sound 

 natural resource management on the Tongass National Forest and 

 elsewhere in the State. 



The Wildlife Society has a long-standing policy dealing with the 

 recognition of wildlife needs in forest management. A committee 

 of Society members expert on the subject of old-growth forest 

 wildlife management has prepared a detailed scientific review 

 paper on the subject. We published the enclosed review paper, 

 "Management and Conservation of Old-Growth Forests in the United 

 States," in the Wildlife Society Bulletin . In 1988 we also 

 developed the attached official policy statement on this subject. 

 The Society requests that this material and the Alaska Chapter of 

 The Wildlife Society's position statement on old-growth forest 

 management in coastal Alaska be entered into this hearing record. 



We also wish to offer some general comments concerning The 

 Wildlife Society's views on forest management with emphasis on 

 old-growth forests and our specific concerns about management of 

 the Tongass National Forest. 



Forest Management Consequences for Wildlife 



Structure and species composition of plant communities may be 

 altered by forest management practices with significant effects 

 upon wildlife. While some wildlife populations may increase or be 

 unaffected, other populations may decline or disappear on 

 intensively managed areas. Positive effects of management may be 

 optimized and negative effects minimized when wildlife 

 requirements are coordinated and integrated with forest 

 management activities. Management practices must be selected and 



