Alaska State Legislature

News From The House Majority

Ken Freeman, Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 465-3804
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

House Resources Committee Urges Completion

of Tongass Land Management Plan

For Immediate Release: March 20, 1997 Contact: Rep. Bill Hudson (907) 465-6820

JUNEAU - Urging the US Forest Service to bring the decade-long Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP) to a conclusion and adopt a minimum annual harvest level of 300 million board feet (MMBF) is the intent of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives Thursday, sponsored by the House Resources Committee.

"House Joint Resolution (HJR) 32 encourages the US Forest Service to immediately finalize the TLMP for the Tongass National Forest so the people and communities of Southeast Alaska can move forward with their economic and personal lives with some degree of certainty," said Representative Hudson.

Hudson said the resolution puts the Alaska State Legislature on record supporting a level of timber harvest from the Tongass National Forest sufficient to prevent further loss of jobs in this important segment of the Southeast Alaska economy.

"We must have a minimum annual harvest level of 300 million board feet from the Tongass in order to reestablish a viable, integrated timber industry," said Hudson.

300 MMBF is the volume selected by the Forest Supervisors as the preferred alternative in the draft TLMP, and is supported by Governor Knowles' Southeast Regional Timber Task Force.

The current Tongass Land Management Plan was adopted in 1979, intending to strike a balance between preservationist interests and the needs of the Southeast Alaska people and communities for timber related jobs.

"After a decade of false starts, intervening federal legislation, court decisions and several public review drafts, the US Forest Service appears to be poised to make their decision on how the Tongass National Forest will be managed for the next 10 to fifteen years," said Hudson.

"While the Forest Service has stalled this plan the Southeast economy has lost $60 million in forest products payroll since 1990 and half its timber jobs since the original TLMP. We must press them to finalize the plan immediately," said Hudson.

Hudson said available timber supply continues its steady decline despite the fact that analysis of the scientific data does not establish any decline in species after nearly half a century of logging on the Tongass. It appears, however, that the Forest Service is under intense pressure from the White House and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce timber supply even further.

"The federal government must not delay finalization of the Tongass Land Management Plan. This resolution supports a minimum harvest level of 300 MMBF and the expedited completion of the TLMP process," said Hudson.

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