233 



Thank you for allowing my written testimony to be included in the 

 hearing record for The Tongass Timber Reform Act, SB346. 



Ny name is Joan Kautzer. I am a commercial fisherman and wildlife 

 artist from Pt. Baker, Alaska on the northern tip of Prince of Wales Island. 

 I would like to testify on behalf of Alaska Women in Trees. We are a group 

 of Southeast residents dedicated to preserving the old growth forest in 

 the Tongass. We come from varied economic backrounds and have members in 

 Ketchikan, Kaufman Cove, Pt. Baker, Port Protection, Craig, Petersburg, 

 Tenakee, Juneau, and Haines. We formed because no longer could we silently 

 stand by as the National Forest is d oforoctod at an annual rate of 20,000 

 acres, or passively watch as an annual 295 miles of new logging roads dissect 

 our wild islands. We denounce the current management priorities that set 

 timber harvest above and in conflict of all other forest uses. We strongly 

 support SB346. We feel it is imperative to the future of the Tongass that 

 the 23 areas named in the bill be granted permanent protection as Wilderness, 

 or, at very least be permanantly removed from the timber base. As a world 

 leader, the United States has taken a stand against cutting rain forests in 

 South America and other global communities. Now it is time to save the very 

 last temperate rain forest within our own borders. With more places becoming 

 humanly altered, we are just beginning to understand the benefits of leaving 

 natural ecosystems in tact. 



When describing the trees in the Tongass the USPS repeatedly uses 

 the words: decadent, rotting, and overmature. They attempt to conjure up 

 a vision that says, "The resource is decaying before our eyes, all these 

 trees are just wasting away on the stump," and "in order to have a healthy 

 Forest we need all new trees." Nothing could be further from the truth. 

 Old growth trees are the most optimum natural condition for a forest. It 

 supports the healthiest habitat for fish and wildlife. It is a self perpet- 

 uating intricate system wherein every living organism is interdependent on 

 trees at every stage of life and death. 



Old growth forest is the nurturing foundation for the commercial fishing 

 industry and the tourist industry. It hosts the crucial salmon producing 

 watersheds and beautiful recreational areas. Unfortunately, tht; over- 

 harvesting of timber is undermining the supporting base of the! 3e two 

 industries. The USPS has created a timber industry, bolstered b y a false 

 economy, which is jeperdizing all other forest uses. The entire premises 



