33 



been a reaction to something that happened in the past, but they 

 don't really fit with what is actually happening on the ground. 



Mr. Taylor. We encourage town meetings. When I get groups to 

 come in, I encourage them to come to one of our — to go to the For- 

 est Service, go to the Bent Creek Experimental Stations, go out and 

 learn, and then let us talk about it. But we must understand that 

 these organizations that are taking in hundreds of millions of dol- 

 lars are taking it in by scaring people. You don't get grandma to 

 send in $25 unless you tell her the last tree is being felled. 



Now, in fact, that is totally false. It has no bearing. It brings you 

 in the most money, and, therefore, that is feeding a lot of the mis- 

 information that comes into Washington. And it is bad environ- 

 mental law and bad silviculture, and we will pay for it in future 

 generations for mismanaging our resources. 



Mr. POMBO. Thank you very much for coming down. 



Mr. Hansen. Thank you, our colleague from North Carolina. We 

 appreciate your excellent work you have done on this issue and ap- 

 preciate your testimony today, and thanks so much for appearing 

 before the committee. 



Mr. Taylor. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it. 



Mr. Hansen. Our last panel is Mr. Noel Williams, Lincoln Coun- 

 ty Commissioner; Matt Bennett, Vice President of Sales, Emmet 

 Vaughn Lumber Company; Jim Matson, Vermillion Sales; Nadine 

 Bailey, Executive Assistant, Timber Producers Association of 

 Michigan and Wisconsin; and Jack Phelps, Executive Director, 

 Alaska Forest Association. I appreciate your being with us at this 

 time. 



You notice in front of you there are three lights. Just like you 

 are driving your car, there is a traffic light there. There is a red, 

 yellow, and green or the other way around. The way you are going 

 to see it is green, yellow, and red. So we try to limit you to five 

 minutes. 



I know you have come a long way, and we appreciate you coming 

 and sitting through these. And your testimony is very important to 

 us, and, believe me, it will be pored over by many of us and the 

 staff besides that. 



So we will just start on this side with Mr. Williams and move 

 across. When the green light goes on, start; yellow light, wind 

 down; red light, we appreciate it if you would stop. Mr. Williams, 

 the time is yours, and thank you for being here. 



STATEMENT OF NOEL WILLLVMS, LINCOLN COUNTY 

 COMMISSIONER 



Mr. WiLLLAMS. My name is Noel Williams, and I certainly would 

 like to thank you all for having me here today. I have been for the 

 last dozen years the County Commissioner in Lincoln County, Mon- 

 tana. I also sit on the National Association of Counties' Public 

 Lands Steering Committee and am past President of the Western 

 Interstate Region Association of Counties, which includes the 15 

 western-most States. And in that capacity, I have worked very 

 closely with many of the county commissioners from the States of 

 the Congressmen and women that I see here today. 



I could probably simply concur with the comments that I have 

 heard from the Congressman from California and the Congressman 



