446 



6 



natural treasures in federal ownership, is placed in conflict 

 with many standards governing lands managed by the Forest 

 Service. In particular, the law seeks to: prevent accelerated 

 liquidation of natural forests; preserve existing biologic 

 diversity; end logging on forest lands with severe economic or 

 physical limitations; and restrict the practice of clearcutting. 

 Plans being developed under NFMA are supposed to set timber 

 production levels in line with principles such as these, not meet 

 an arbitrary statutory target established before the planning 

 process even begins. 



Removing the statutory timber volume objective of 450 

 million board feet annually will permit the Forest Service to 

 make informed production decisions on the Tongass based on 

 sensible supply and demand analysis and on current understanding 

 of how the Tongass timber program fits in a true multiple use 

 context. This can be done in accordance with recent laudable 

 expressions of policy from the Department of Agriculture that 

 place a higher burden of justification on below-cost logging 

 programs such as that administered on the Tongass. 



In addition, section 102 of S. 346 will conform the Tongass 

 to section 6(k) of NFMA, currently applicable to all 155 other 

 forests in the National Forest System. That section proscribes 

 timber harvest, with limited exceptions, on forest sites that are 



^^ "USDA Decision. .. for the San Juan National Forest and the 

 Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests," July 

 31, 1985. 



