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denuded of its forests. They see for themselves that controlled 

 clearcutting is truly a sensible means of replacing the old dying 

 forest with new healthy trees and that with this sensible, balanced 

 approach to forest management there is room in this huge forest 

 for everyone. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you, Ms. Ross. Mr. Pihlman. 



STATEMENT OF DALE PIHLMAN, FISHERIES BIOLOGIST, ALASKA 

 DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



Mr. Pihlman. Yes, Senator Wirth, I welcome you to Ketchikan 

 and thank you for taking the time to come and listen to our con- 

 cerns about the management of the Tongass. 



My name is Dale Pihlman, I am a second generation Alaskan 

 and fisheries biologist currently with the Alaskan Department of 

 Fish and Game and also I have been a commercial fisherman for 

 about 15 years. 



Currently I operate three tour buses out of Ketchikan; I employ 

 approximately 12 individuals, mostly college students, and host 

 about 8,000 visitors per year. 



I would like to start my testimony by taking note of a certain set 

 of facts that bring us here today. The Tongass has long been gross- 

 ly mismanaged by the U.S. Forest Service. The fact that you are 

 here today is evidence of that. If the Forest Service had done its job 

 managing the forest in a balanced way, Tongass would not be in- 

 volved in the Forest Management as it is now. For as long as I can 

 remember the Tongass has been managed as a tree farm with little 

 consideration given to other values, such as fish and wildlife and 

 wilderness recreation. As a fisheries biologist and a commercial 

 fisherman I am continually frustrated by the destruction of 

 salmon-spawning streams. Today I watch in apprehension as old- 

 growth timber disappears, steadily decreasing the number of areas 

 to which I can take my clients. 



One does not have to cut down the forest to have it generate rev- 

 enue. As the world's population increases the availability of wilder- 

 ness in southeastern Alaska becomes increasingly valuable as a vis- 

 itor attraction. A recent state survey indicated the state's number 

 one attraction was not Mount McKinley but the Inside Passage, 

 first of waterways. 



I am not against timber harvesting and I have worked in timber- 

 related jobs. As a college student I spent time longshoring, loading 

 ships with cans and bales for ports of call. I worked on a tugboat 

 loading logs and I recognize the value of the timber industry in the 

 local economy. 



Senate Bill 346 would not weaken the timber industry, but 

 rather provides the best for all. The legislation provides protection 

 for areas valuable to the wilderness recreation and visitor industry 

 but it still provides latitude for increased timber harvest. 



Also removing the mandate of the $40 million appropriation 

 brings a positive element of fiscal conservatism in a time of nation- 

 al need. 



I thank you for your efforts to bring the multiple use. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you very much, Mr. Pihlman. We appreci- 

 ate all of you being here this morning and your colleagues. 



