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TESTIMONY OF IVIATT BENNETT 



BEFORE 



THE, HOUSE RESOURCES COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, 



FOREST AND LANDS 



JUNE 20, 1996 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, my name is Matt Bennett and I am 

 testifying today on behalf of the Southern Timber Purchasers Council, and the Tennessee Forestry 

 Association. The Southern Timber Purchasers Council is an affiliation of forestry companies across 

 the South who have joined together to advocate, seek and promote federal policies which will 

 provide access to Southern forest resources. The Tennessee Forestry Association is a 1000 plus 

 member organization of landowners, forestry professionals, hardwood and softwood sawmills, 

 furniture manufacturers, and pulp and paper producers dedicated to the proper use and conservation 

 of our state's forestland. I am the incoming President of this organization. Thank you for this 

 opportunity to testify today regarding the Forest Service administrative appeals process. 



I. BACKGROUND 



To meet its legislative mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield on the land that it 

 manages, the Forest Service uses a decision making process that includes (1) developing 

 management plans for forest, and (2) reaching project-level decisions for implementing these plans. 

 Project-level decisions might include such activities as timber harvest, livestock grazing, wildlife 

 habitat management, and recreational development. 



In a good faith effort to increase public participation, the Forest Service implemented an 

 administrative appeals process to provide recourse for disagreements over its management decisions 

 (36 CFR Sec. 215 and 36 CFR Sec. 217). Further recourse is available through the federal courts 

 by those seeking to delay, modify, or stop a project they disagree with. 



It is the object of this testimony to show that the process, however well intended, has become 



