441 



Introduction 



The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) strongly 

 supports S. 346, the Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1989. We urge 

 the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to approve this 

 legislation swiftly with strengthening amendments extending 

 wilderness protection to certain important areas of the Tongass. 



The Tongass National Forest spans nearly 17 million acres of 

 the Alaskan "panhandle." It is far and away the largest national 

 forest. S.346 would do much to promote wise stewardship of this 

 vast resource; we emphatically agree with Senator Wirth that 

 reform of timber practices on the Tongass is "in the broad public 

 interest and must be done to protect the natural resources of the 

 Tongass National Forest." 



Specifically, the legislation ends the "Tongass Timber 

 Supply Fund," an unprecedented and failed employment subsidy; 

 removes exemptions allowing deviation from sound national forest 

 management; mandates termination of unconventional and 

 anticompetitive timber contracts; and defers logging in sensitive 

 areas critical to fish and wildlife. All of these reforms will 

 enhance substantially the public interest, as detailed below. 



NRDC is a non-profit organization with more than 100,000 

 members and contributors. Through its forestry program, NRDC 

 promotes wise public stewardship of the Tongass and the entire 

 National Forest System. 



^ S. 346, 100th Cong., 1st Sess., 135 Cong. Rec. S1104 (Feb. 

 2, 1989). 



