448 



8 



for bald eagle, grizzly bear, Sitka black-tailed deer, salmon, 



and myriad other fish and wildlife species. 



CXitover old growth on the Tongass will not be reproduced in 



this or any foreseeable future generation. That old growth must 



be regarded as a scarce, nonrenewable resource was confirmed by a 



recent Society of American Foresters (SAF) report, which 



observed : 



...there is no evidence that old-growth conditions can 

 be reproduced silviculturally . In fact, the question 

 is essentially moot, as it would take 200 years or more 

 to find an answer. 



The SAF study concluded further that "[w]ith present knowledge, 



it is not possible to create old-growth stands or markedly hasten 



15 



the process by which nature creates them." 



Of special importance, S. 346 will shift the Tongass timber 

 program emphasis away from clearcutting those old growth stands 

 with high wood volumes. The steady conversion of such lands into 

 highly managed tracts has greatly diminished the quality of 

 forest habitat for wildlife and fish. In addition, the bill will 

 help prevent unsustainable "high-grading" of the forest's most 

 productive sites from bringing long term instability to the 

 regional economy. 



The Need for Prompt Enactment 



^^ Society of American Foresters, "Scheduling the Harvest of 

 Old Growth," 31 (1984) . 



^^ Id. at 17. 



