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The exemption from Section 6(k) of the National Forest 

 Management Act must be retained in order to access timber stands 

 in marginal areas. Access to marginal areas is made necessary by 

 the 1980 designation of 1.6 million acres of commercial forest land 

 as wilderness in Section 703 of ANILCA. 



Reduced clearcut size is not the best management practice 

 on the Tongass because it does not necessarily minimize the 

 potential impact of timber harvest on the National Forest. Tongass 

 legislation should allow for drainage management in which larger 

 clearcut size would be permitted so long as it is not inconsistent 

 with multiple use management and other resource values. 

 Contracts 



Perceived problems of individual contracts should not 

 drive legislation which can have far-reaching impacts on the people 

 and the communities of Southeast Alaska. Matters concerning 

 individual contracts should be negotiated between the United States 

 government and the respective private party. 

 Land Area 



Current Tongass land allocations are based upon the 

 existing Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP) pursuant to the 

 Resources Planning Act of 1974. New land allocations, which add 

 to already designated wilderness or other protected status should 

 not be the subject of legislation, nor should they be made prior 

 to completion of the TLMP revisions. 



If, however. Congress desires, in the public interest, 

 to allocate land areas in advance of TLMP, ALA believes that only 



