407 



-3- 



Recent reports piibllshed by the General Accounting Office 

 and the Congressional Research Service, as well as the House 

 Interior Report accompanying H.R. 1516 during the 100th Congress, 

 all present evidence which overwhelmingly supports reform of the 

 ANILCA provisions pertaining to the management of the Tongass 

 National Forest. The GAO study, in particular, reports that the 

 Forest Service has spent $131 million preparing timber sales not 

 needed to meet current demand. Moreover, timber sales program in 

 the Tongass National Forest lost $22 million dollars in 1986. I 

 am sure these figures have been brought to your attention 

 repeatedly. Nevertheless, their impact does not fade. 



S. 346 will terminate the environmentally destructive timber 

 harvest levels required by ANILCA on the Tongass National Forest, 

 assure the Tongass is managed in accordance with the National 

 Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA) , and assure funding in the 

 same manner as other National Forests. We believe the bill will 

 help end the destruction of fish and wildlife populations and 

 habitats in southeast Alaska and help ensure the wise management 

 of the Tongass 's natural resources. 



S. 346 would improve the management of the Tongass National 

 Forest by taking the following positive steps: 



Repealing Section 705(a) and thereby returning funding of 

 timber management activities on the Tongass to the annual 

 appropriations process, while eliminating the 4.5 billion 

 board foot timber supply goal. 



