ANCHORAGE (January 12, 2007) - Many Americans had high hopes that when a federal court last year ordered the Forest Service to amend the current Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan, the agency would move away from what has been their primary focus – timber production. However, the draft amendment that was formally announced today in a press conference appears to have fallen short of this aspiration.
The amendment, ordered by a federal court after finding that the agency had erroneously doubled timber demand figures used to set logging levels and plan timber sales, includes seven management alternatives that are supposed to account for multiple uses in the forest, and be based on sound science. Five of the alternatives have an average annual Allowable Sale Quantity (ASQ) of 204 million board feet or more.
“If the Forest Service chooses one of these alternatives,” said Dr. Lisa Crone, a former Forest Service research economist now with The Wilderness Society, “it will be for political reasons only as there is no economic justification for these high cut levels. By continuing to ignore the economic realities of southeast Alaska and focusing its management on timber, the Forest Service is only perpetuating a fiscally irresponsible timber sale program.”
The Tongass National Forest was established by Teddy Roosevelt one hundred years ago and is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. Its stands of old-growth trees are home to wolves, black and brown bears, five species of wild salmon, Bald Eagles, and other treasures that have disappeared from many other parts of the country. The forests’ scenic vistas, wildlife, and fisheries draw visitors from all over the world and create thousands of jobs for the region. Meanwhile, the Forest Service has continued to focus on managing the forest primarily for timber and has been criticized for failing to balance other community uses and values. The Tongass timber program has been a perennial money-loser and U.S. taxpayers have been forced to bear the burden of an inflated timber program and unnecessary, expensive new logging roads that threaten to undermine commercial fishing and recreation.
“The economic predictions in this plan fail to take into account the realities of global wood product markets and the inherent factors that have always placed Alaska at a competitive disadvantage for timber production, such as distance from markets, high production and labor costs, and the type of timber available from our forests” said Dr. Crone. “A more sensible economic solution for the Tongass National Forest is one that accounts for actual market conditions and sustainable uses of forest resources. It is our hope that in the public comment period the Forest Service will give weight to these realities.”
About The Wilderness Society: Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society has more than 300,000 members and supporters and is dedicated to protecting America’s wilderness and wildlife for future generations through public education, scientific analysis, and advocacy.
