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Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of the 

 National Wildlife Federation, I wish to thank you for the 

 opportunity to submit this statement for the February 28, 1989 

 hearing record on S. 346, the "Tongass Timber Reform Act." My 

 name is Frances A. Hunt and I am the Forest Resource Specialist 

 for NWF. 



The National Wildlife Federation is the nation's largest 

 conservation-education organization, with more than 5.1 million 

 members and supporters in 51 states and territories. NWF is 

 actively involved in forest management issues. Ending the 

 environmentally destructive activities which are an "unintended 

 consequence" of provisions in the Alaska National Interest Lands 

 Conservation Act (ANILCA) is a priority of our organization. 



The Tongass National Forest, America's largest national 

 forest, is of great ecological and economic importance. Nearly 

 11 million of the Forest's 16.8 million acres are not forested, 

 but the portion that is forested contains one of the world's last 

 old growth temperate rain forests. Over 200 inches of rain falls 

 yearly, creating one of the most distinctive ecosystems in the 

 world. The continuing destruction of the remnant old growth 

 forests of Washington and Oregon makes protection of the Tongass 

 more urgent. 



