449 



9 



In his recent testimony before the Subcommittee, Forest 

 Service Associate Chief George Leonard characterized meaningful 



Ifi 



legislative reform on the Tongass as "premature". He 

 recommended that Congress "wait for information developed through 

 the Forest Plan revision process before considering major 

 statutory changes such as those in S. 346." 



We disagree strongly with the agency's position that 

 enactment of S. 346 should be deferred. Although the TLMP 

 process may well inform future Forest Service decisions, 

 sufficient facts are now known to compel prompt enactment of the 

 Tongass Timber Reform Act. We also disagree with the agency's 

 support for S. 237, substantially weakened Tongass legislation 

 that removes the $40 million annual entitlement but contains none 

 of the other beneficial reforms of S. 346. 



Contrary to the Forest Service's position, the reform under 

 consideration in S. 346 is but a sensible, conservative first 

 step toward enlightened forest management. Congress will remain 

 free to appropriate whatever funds are necessary to support 

 reasonable levels of timber production on the Tongass, and the 

 Forest Service will remain free to choose among various 

 alternative management strategies in its planning process. All 

 that this bill will accomplish is opening the Tongass up to these 



'^ Statement of George Leonard before the Subcommittee on 

 Public Lands, National Parks and Forests, Senate Committee on 

 Energy and Natural Resources, 5 (Feb. 28, 1989). 



^^ Id. at 6. 



