70 



SUSTAINED YIELD TIMBER PROGRAM, WAS APPROX. 24 MMBF. 

 INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITIES WERE ENCOURAGED TO MAKE LONG-TERM 

 PLANNING DECISIONS BASE ON THESE NUMBERS. AFTER SUCH PLANS 

 WERE MADE, HOWEVER, SUBSEQUENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS, 

 ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS, AND LITIGATION QUICKLY ERODED THEM. 

 THESE APPEALS AND LITIGATION OFENTIMES SEEM TO BE NOTHING 

 MORE THAN DELAY TACTICS AND EFFORTS TO DETER ANY UTILIZATION 

 OF COMMODITY RESOURCES. THE MOST RECENT CHALLENGES HAVE 

 STATED THAT THE GRIZZLY BEAR RECOVERY DECISIONS ON SALVAGE 

 SALES WERE "ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS". HOWEVER, THE JUDGES 

 REVIEWING THESE CLAIMS HAVE UNANIMOUSLY REJECTED THEM, 

 INFERRING THAT IT WAS THE CLAIMS THEMSELVES THAT WERE 

 ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS. 



ILLUSTRATIVE RESULTS: FISCAL YEAR 1994 TOTAL SALES -59 MMBF; 

 FISCAL YEAR 1995 TOTAL SALES -58 MMBF. CONSEQUENCES: 

 RAMPANT UNEMPLOYMENT AND BUSINESS FAILURES AND ASSOCIATED 

 SOCIO-ECONOMIC DISARRAY. 



THE RAY OF HOPE IS THE CURRENT SALVAGE PROGRAM 

 EXPEDITED BY THE EXEMPTION FROM ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS. 

 COMPARE THE PREVIOUS NUMBERS WITH CURRENT FISCAL YEAR 1996: 

 THROUGH MID- JUNE, 96 MMBF SOLD, WITH YEAR END TOTAL 

 PROJECTED TO BE 167 MMBF, 149 OF WHICH WILL BE SALVAGE. THE 

 INFERENCES ARE CLEAR. 



THIS PROGRAM IS KEEPING MANY OF MY FRIENDS AND 

 NEIGHBORS EMPLOYED. THIS PROGRAM IS GIVING A MEASURE OF 

 SECURITY TO MANY OP THE SMALL OPERATORS IN OUR COMMUNITIES, 

 WHO ARE CURRENTLY MAKING MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN LOW- 

 IMPACT, HIGH UTILIZATION, MACHINERY IN ORDER TO BETTER COMPLY 

 WITH ENVIROMENTALLY SENSITIVE GUIDELINES. WE MUST NOT ALLOW 

 THIS TO BE A FALSE SECURITY . 



THE OWNER/MANAGER OF ONE OF OUR MAJOR WOOD PRODUCTS 

 CONVERSION PLANTS STATED UNEQUIVOCALLY THAT WITHOUT RAW 

 MATERIALS AVAILABLE AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE SALVAGE RIDER, 

 THEIR LABOR FORCE WOULD H^VE BEEN REDUCED BY A MINIMUM OF 4 

 PERCENT (FROM 200 TO 120) , FROM WHICH WOULD HAVE SPUN OFF AN 

 EVEN HIGHER NUMBER OF JOB LOSSES IN SERVICE AND SUPPORT 

 INDUSTRIES. HE FURTHER COMMENTED (SIGNIFICANTLY, FOR THE 

 PURPOSES OF THIS HEARING) THAT IT HAS BECOME OBVIOUS TO HIM 

 THAT THE PROGRAM "HAS HAD AN EXTREMELY POSITIVE EFFECT ON 

 THE MORALE AND PRODUCTIVITY AND TEAM WORK OP THE FOREST 

 SERVICE EMPLOYEES". THERE ALSO APPEARS TO BE A MUCH GREATER 

 ATMOSPHERE OF COOPERATION: BOTH INDUSTRY AND AGENCY ARE 

 AWARE THAT THEIR ACTIONS WILL BE CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED -THEY 

 HAVE TO DO A GOOD JOB BECAUSE THEIR FUTURE DEPENDS UPON IT, 

 AS DOES THE QUALITY OF FUTURE HABITAT CONDITIONS. 



THESE OBSERVATIONS HAVE BEEN ECHOED BY VARIOUS DISTRICT 

 RANGERS. THEY HAVE NO DOUBT THAT CURRENT ACTIVITIES WOULD 

 HAVE BEEN HELD UP BY APPEALS AS A MAT-TER OF COL'RSE. SOME 

 GROUPS SUBMIT IDENTICAL APPEALS ON EVERY PROJECT; NOT 

 HAVING TO DEAL WITH SUCH TACTICS HAS ALLOWED THE AGENCY AT 



