March 4, 1997
Contact: Jack Phelps, Executive Director

The Clinton Administration’s proposal to make dramatic cuts in funding for important forest service programs will prevent the Forest Service from contributing its fair share of the research technology, forest health protection and timber production necessary to meet the needs of the American public, the Alaska Forest Association said today. "The public depends on healthy forests, not only for lumber, but for recreation and other purposes," said executive director, Jack Phelps. "If the Federal government is going to own forest lands, they should maintain a commitment to take care of them. "

Representatives of the forest products industry across the country have now proposed a detailed prescription for protecting the health of America’s national forests and improving the operation of the United States Forest Service. The prescriptions in many areas run parallel to those of the Forest Service itself.

"The industry recommends that the Forest Service perform forest land inventories every 5 years, not every 12 years as proposed by the Clinton Administration, Phelps said. The Forest Service should also shift funds from lower priority research projects to the high priority forest productivity programs as a means of maintaining U.S. competitiveness in the forest products marketplace. This will keep American jobs intact and ensure the nation’s wood products needs are met with American fiber, cut by Americans in American forests, where American environmental consciousness helps maintain forest health and productivity over the long term."

In addition, the industry recommendations include the Forest Service giving priority to areas in need of fire prevention treatment. "The Forest Service should utilize the variety of tools available to it to deal with increased fire risk on many of the country’s national forests, including the Chugach here in Alaska," Phelps said. "Those tools include thinning, salvage harvests and prescribed fire. It is just not acceptable for foresters to do nothing when they have the scientific knowledge to attack and solve an obvious problem."

Finally, the industry urges Congress to restore funding for multi-purpose roads in the National Forest System. "On any given forest, nearly 80 percent of the roads built by the timber industry are open to all traffic, including logging, recreation, fire protection, wildlife and fisheries management and many forms of forest and ecosystem management. The forest road system is essential to sound management on our national forests, and the purchaser credit program is the least expensive way to get those roads built." said Phelps. Over the last decade, the average cost per mile of roads built under the Purchaser Road Credits program was $25,900, compared with $60,200 when built by general contractors with appropriated funds.

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