HJR 55: Relating to the importance to the economy of Southeast Alaska of continued timber harvests on the Tongass National Forest.
00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 55 01 Relating to the importance to the economy of Southeast Alaska of continued 02 timber harvests on the Tongass National Forest. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS Tongass National Forest timber resources accounted for about 2,500 of 05 the annual average 3,600 private sector jobs directly generated by the forest products industry 06 in Southeast Alaska in 1992, the last year for which accurate figures are available; and 07 WHEREAS the forest products industry in Southeast Alaska accounted for 24 percent 08 of basic industry employment (including government), and 34 percent of all private basic 09 industry employment, in 1992; and 10 WHEREAS workers in the forest products industry in Southeast Alaska, including 11 loggers, road builders, stevedores, sawmill workers, and pulp mill workers earned 12 approximately $146,000,000 in wages and salaries during 1992; and 13 WHEREAS forest products industry employment in Southeast Alaska has declined 14 sharply since 1990, marked by the loss of $18,000,000 in payroll and more than 600 jobs, due
01 to reduced timber harvests on the Tongass and the near completion of the first harvest on 02 private land; and 03 WHEREAS the United States Congress in 1980 enacted the Alaska National Interest 04 Lands Conservation Act, which includes provisions designating 5,400,000 acres of the Tongass 05 National Forest as part of the Wilderness Preservation System, and thus closed those lands to 06 timber harvest; and 07 WHEREAS an increase in the availability of timber for harvest on the Tongass 08 National Forest could offset the lack of production of timber from private lands and maintain 09 the economic well-being of Southeast Alaska; and 10 WHEREAS a decline in the availability of timber to harvest on the Tongass National 11 Forest will continue to cause the loss of jobs in the timber industry in Southeast Alaska and 12 will significantly impair the economic well-being of the area as many communities are totally 13 or otherwise very dependent on the timber industry as the sole or one of the largest employers 14 in the community; and 15 WHEREAS the United States Congress in 1990 enacted the Tongass Timber Reform 16 Act, thus closing an additional 1,100,0000 acres of land to timber harvest through wilderness 17 designations and management practices; and 18 WHEREAS timber availability is critical to the health of the forest products industry 19 in Alaska, and the availability of timber in the Tongass National Forest will likely determine 20 the future of the forest products industry in Alaska; and 21 WHEREAS the United States Congress controls the level of timber harvesting in the 22 Tongass in part through the budget process and by these land designations acts; and 23 WHEREAS the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, manages the 24 Tongass National Forest and determines the availability of timber for harvest on the lands not 25 closed to timber harvest; 26 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the United 27 States Congress to review the economic impact on the Southeast Alaska economy and the 28 forest products industry of the wilderness designations imposed by the Alaska National Interest 29 Lands Conservation Act of 1980, and the wilderness designations and changes in management 30 practices mandated by the Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1990; and be it 31 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the
01 United States Congress to increase the amount of timber available for harvest in the Tongass 02 National Forest; and be it 03 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the 04 United States Congress to provide sufficient funding to the United States Department of 05 Agriculture, Forest Service, to facilitate offering for harvest the maximum amount of Tongass 06 timber possible under current law; and be it 07 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests the United States 08 Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, to manage the Tongass National Forest in order 09 to provide maximum opportunity for timber harvest. 10 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the 11 United States; the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and President 12 of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the U.S. House of 13 Representatives; the Honorable George Mitchell, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 14 Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the 15 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska Delegation in Congress; 16 and to Mr. Michael Espy, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Mr. Jack Ward 17 Thomas, Chief of the U. S. Forest Service.