490 



Additionally, the clearcut areas and associated road systems 

 greatly increase the chance of habitat degradation due to 

 weather-induced events. 



The weather patterns in southeast Alaska are cyclical. While 

 we have just experienced a decade of rather mild weather, the 

 last two years have again begun to expose us to more extremes. 

 Thus while favorable weather conditions have combined with a 

 number of other factors to give us some record fish returns 

 during the past decade, the last two years are demonstrating 

 that a return to a harsher weather pattern is detrimental to 

 fish habitat. This is especially true in areas where extensive 

 logging activity has left the streams vulnerable. Drought 

 conditions two summers ago saw some major impacts on fish 

 resources in intensively logged areas. Heavy rains last fall 

 caused numerous land slides, a majority of which were in or 

 adjacent to logged areas. It is reasonable to expect that the 

 severely cold winter that we have just completed will result 

 in negative impact on salmon survival rates, and again, it 

 will likely be most serious in areas where nature's ability to 

 mitigate the conditions has been altered. The cumulative 

 impacts of events such as these are going to harm our fish 

 stocks and our industry. 



What we seek in Tongass reform is a more balanced view of 

 multiple use management of our forest. The constraints of 

 language mandating 4.5 billion board feet of timber per 

 decade, and some of the provisions of outdated 50 year 

 contracts, do not allow for this to happen. 



Fishermen continue to be active participants in Forest Service 

 planning in our region, but we have come to realize that we 

 cannot get the protections and assurances we need without 

 Congressional action. Quite frankly. Congress played a big 

 role in getting us into this predicament on the Tongass. Now 

 we need your help to get out of it. 



A package of things is required for reform on the Tongass. 

 There are numerous watersheds and related areas within the 

 Tongass whose obvious multiple values are so high that they 

 need permanent protection from intensive logging practices. 

 The areas spelled out in Senate Bill 346 for special 

 consideration are such areas, and we would recommend that 

 Congress give them a LUD II status. 



However, of the more than 3,000 streams in southeast currently 

 catalogued as fish streams, a large percentage fall outside of 

 the areas that are currently protected, or would be protected 

 under this bill. A continued mandate of 4.5 billion board feet 

 per decade will severely impact habitat in these areas of the 

 Tongass. We urge the removal of harvest goal language, and 

 urge the utilization of mandatory buffer strips along streams 

 in areas being intensively logged. The National Marine 

 Fisheries Service has developed a streamside management policy 



