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THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN, AND MEMBERS OF THE CO^^MITTEE, 

 FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAR BEFORE YOU TODAY. 

 MY NAME IS NOEL WILLIAMS AND I HAVE BEEN, FOR THE PAST DOZEN 

 YEARS, A COUNTY COMMISSIONER IN LINCOLN COUNTY, MONTANA. I 

 ALSO SIT ON THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES' PUBLIC 

 LANDS STEERING COMMITTEE, AND AM PAST PRESIDENT OF THE 

 WESTERN INTERSTATE REGION WHICH CONSISTS OF THE COUNTIES 

 WITHIN THE FIFTEEN WESTERN-MOST STATES. 



BASED ON DISCUSSION WITH YOUR STAFF, I PERCIEVE MY 

 PRIMARY TASK HERE TODAY IS TO DISCUSS THE RESULTS OF THE 

 CURRENT FOREST SALVAGE PROGRAM ON FEDERAL LANDS RELATIVE TO 

 THE EXEMPTION FROM ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS UNDER THE TIMBER 

 PROVISIONS OF THE 1995 RESCISSIONS BILL (COMMONLY REFERRED 

 TO AS THE "SALVAGE RIDER"). 



FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THE GENERAL CONSENSUS OF LOCAL 

 LEADERS, AND FOREST SERVICE PERSONNEL, AND THE WOOD PRODUCTS 

 INDUSTRY PARTICIPANTS, IS THAT THE CURRENT SALVAGE PROGRAM 

 BASED ON THE SO-CALLED SALVAGE RIDER HAS BEEN THE MOST 

 SUCCESSFUL POSITIVE CHANGE IN FEDERAL FOREST MANAGEMENT 

 DIRECTION IN RECENT YEARS ^ 



LET ME BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE 

 COMMUNITIES IN MY COUNTY, AND KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE 

 CIRCUMSTANCES ARE NOT DISSIMILAR TO A HOST OF OTHER RURAL 

 WESTERN COMMUNITIES. ALMOST 80 PERCENT OF OUR 3750 SQUARE 

 MILES IS ENCOMPASSED BY THE KOOTENAI NATIONAL FOREST, WHILE 

 ONLY 7 PERCENT IS COMPRISED OF PRIVATE/ NON-CORPORATE 

 OWNERSHIP WHICH PROVIDES THE TAX BASE TO SUPPORT PUBLIC 

 SERVICES. RECENT STATISTICS FROM THE BUREAU OF BUSINESS AND 

 ECONOMIC RESEARCH INDICATES THAT 56% OF OUR LABOR FORCE IS 

 INVOLVED IN THE WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, AND 2 9% IS FEDERAL 

 CIVILIAN WORK FORCE -PRIMARILY U.S.F.S. PERSONNEL CHARGED 

 WITH MANAGING THOSE FEDERAL LANDS, THOSE TWO GROUPS ALONE 

 COMPRISE 85% OF OUR TOTAL WORK FORCE; CONSEQUENTLY, IT 

 BECOMES EASY TO SEE HOW VIRTUALLY EVERY CITIZEN IN LINCOLN 

 COUNTY IS IN SOME WAY IMPACTED BY THE MANAGEMENT OF THE 

 KOOTENAI NATIONAL FOREST. 



BECAUSE OF THIS DEPENDENCE, WE TRY TO CLOSELY MONITOR 

 THE ACTIONS, DECISIONS, Al^D RESULTS OF U.S. FOREST SERVICE 

 MANAGEMENT. THE ANNUAL GROWTH OF WOOD FIBER WITHIN THE KNF 

 IS ESTIMATED BY SCIENTISTS TO BE BETWEEN 500 MMBF AND 600 

 MMBF; WHEN THAT BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL WAS DISCOUNTED TO MEET 

 THE VARIOUS OTHER RESOURCE NEEDS IDENTIFIED IN THE FOREST 

 PLANNING PROCESS (I.E., WATER QUALITY, WILDLIFE, FISH, 

 RECREATION, ENDANGERED SPECIES, ETC.), IT WAS DETER14INED 

 THAT AN ALLOWABLE SALE QUANTITY THAT COULD BE CONSERVATIVELY 

 PROJECTED ON A DECADAL BASIS, AND EASILY PROVIDE FOR A 



