576 



Mr. Metcalf. For some uses. Some of the old growth spruce, the 

 texture of the wood is much better compared to the second growth. 

 The second growth has more air in it. 



Senator Wirth. Why does the old growth spruce have more den- 

 sity than the second growth? 



Mr. Metcalf. The second growth grows much faster and so the 

 cells are larger. 



Senator Wirth. Why does it grow faster? 



Mr. Metcalf. Because it has less competition; there is more sun- 

 light. 



Senator Wirth. When it is out in the open it tends to grow more 

 rapidly or a little more slowly, the rings are closer together, and, 

 therefore, the quality of the old growth is better than the quality of 

 the new growth? 



Mr. Metcalf. It depends on what they are using the wood for. 

 Probably for pulp the second growth is much better. 



Senator Wirth. If you are going for pulp the second growth is 

 advantageous. If you are going for quality 



Mr. Metcalf. If you are going for a musical sound board, the old 

 growth is the best. 



Senator Wirth. Now, in a mixed state, what difference does the 

 age class make? 



Mr. Metcalf. It is complicated but to try and make it simple, the 

 old growth has natural openings. Trees die and fall over and new 

 trees start and you get patches of sunlight and you get a variety of 

 age, age classed trees, different trees at different ages, and a lot of 

 undergrowth that provides food for wildlife and so forth. 



Senator Wirth. So, you are getting more wildlife in old growth 

 than in the second growth? 



Mr. Metcalf. That is correct. A real good forest will sustain a 

 variety of wildlife and it will protect them during the winter. It 

 will keep out a lot of the snow and there will be food for them and 

 forage, going underground, that is available to them. The second 

 growth does not have that canopy, it does not have the openings. 

 The Forest Service now admits that 50 to 75 percent of the deer 

 will be finished in half the water sheds that they have left to log 

 because the growth will essentially disappear and there will be 

 nothing but woody stems to sustain the deer. 



Senator Wirth. What is a woody stem? 



Mr. Metcalf. Just young trees that do not have the soft, fleshy 

 limbs that you have in the old growth. 



I wanted to get your sense of what to look for and be alert to 

 here. 



Thank you. We appreciate your being here. Thank you very 

 much. 



We will take a brief recess. 



[Recess taken.] 



Senator Wirth. We can resume. 



I would ask if our six witnesses would please come up to the wit- 

 ness table, Ladonna Stafford, John Parton, Ralph Groshong, Ed 

 Oetken, Hayden Kaden, Joy Evers. Then in the first row down at 

 the right, Ruth Sandvig, John Murray, Gage Else, Carolyn Servid, 

 Linda Waller, Christine Pool. 



