17 



Mrs. Chenoweth. Some of us out West envision certain forests 

 operating under the State Forest Management Practices Act with 

 cooperation with the Forest Service regarding data, maybe person- 

 nel, and so forth. But we need to be able to get in there very quick- 

 ly and straighten those areas out, or we won't have the forests in 

 20 years. 



I thought that some of our people out in Idaho were overreaching 

 when they said, "Helen, we don't have time. We don't have two or 

 three years. It is not just the job, it is the health of the forests." 

 And, indeed, I took a forest tour, and they are right. They are 

 right. 



Would the Forest Service be so visionary as to work with us in 

 straightening up some of these areas and hand it over to the 

 States — certain areas to our management to bring about a sus- 

 tained yield process in there? 



Mr. Unger. We would have to look at whether such a process 

 would indeed be legal and appropriate and in accordance with Ad- 

 ministration policy. But we are always willing to discuss these 

 kinds of issues and to discuss them with you. 



Mrs. Chenoweth. Mr. Unger, do you agree that if the Congress 

 passed a law and the President signed it into law, that would be 

 instructive to you? 



Mr. Unger. Of course. 



Mrs. Chenoweth. Good. We agree on that one. In northern 

 Idaho, the last time you appeared before this committee, I men- 

 tioned that I am having the same problem that our Chairman is 

 with lots of road closures. People are pretty hot up there. I now 

 have a map of the roads that have just arbitrarily been closed, and 

 many of them — most of them are 2477 roadways that existed even 

 before the turn of the century. 



Would you personally work with me on that issue in trying to re- 

 solve that? — because people can't use the forest roads. It is not just 

 for logging, but it is berry picking and recreation and everything. 

 Would you be willing to work with me? 



Mr. Unger. I and my staff would be happy to try to provide 

 whatever information and facts we can to assist in understanding 

 that issue. 



Mrs. Chenoweth. You just stated in one of your answers that 

 less than one percent of all appeals are filed by people in the region 

 of the activity. That means that 99 percent of the appeals are filed 

 by people not directly impacted. 



Mr. Unger. No. You misunderstood me. The information that we 

 had a year ago, and I have no reason to believe it is different now, 

 was that only one percent of the appeals were filed by people out- 

 side the region. Most were filed by people living closer to the 

 project. 



Mrs. Chenoweth. OK. Well, looking at the Forest Service ap- 

 peals process, it appears to me that some progress really has been 

 made, although the number of appeals has quadrupled. 



Mr. Unger. Well, could I interrupt, Mrs. Chenoweth? We are ex- 

 periencing a decline in the number of appeals. 



Mrs. Chenoweth. Oh, are you? 



