SUBCOMMITTEE RECESS Senator BIBLE. Gentlemen, this concludes our hearing on Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. You have been as usual very fine, credible witnesses. Some of the answers I didn't like. We are going to keep working on them. The execution date is still March 24. I don't know if we can work out a solution or not. We stand in recess until 9:30 tomorrow morning, when we will hear the representatives of the Forest Service. Dr. GOTTSCHALK. Thank you, sir. Mr. TUNISON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (Whereupon, at 4:23 p.m., Thursday, March 12, the subcommittee was recessed, to reconvene at 9:30 a.m., Friday, March 13.) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1971 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1970 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 9:30 a.m., in room 1114, New Senate Office Building, Hon. Alan Bible (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Bible, Byrd, Young, and Boggs. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE STATEMENT OF T. K. COWDEN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE ACCOMPANIED BY: E. P. CLIFF, CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE A. W. GREELEY, ASSOCIATE CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE M. M. NELSON, DEPUTY CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE E. W. SCHULTZ, DEPUTY CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE E. M. BACON, DEPUTY CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE R. K. ARNOLD, DEPUTY CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE G. D. FOX, ASSOCIATE DEPUTY CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE SERVICE T. C. NELSON, ASSOCIATE DEPUTY CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE CHARLES L. GRANT, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, DEPARTMENT OF PURPOSE STATEMENT Senator BIBLE. The subcommittee will come to order. This is the time for the hearing on the Forest Service appropriation items. The Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, the Chief of the Forest Service and his assistants are with us. The Forest Service purpose statement supplied with the budget justification will be placed in the record at this point. (The statement follows.) FOREST SERVICE Purpose Statement The Forest Service is responsible for promoting the conservation and wise use of the country's forest and related watershed lands, which comprise one-third of the total land area of the United States. To meet its responsibility the Forest Service engages in three main lines of work, as follows: 1. Management, protection, and development of the National Forests and National Grasslands. The 154 National Forests and 19 National Grasslands are managed under multiple use and for sustained yield. Under these principles natural resources of outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife are utilized in a planned combination that will best meet the needs of the Nation without impairing the productivity of the land. Direct as well as generated employment for rural residents contribute to community development and to environmental protection and improvement. Gross area within unit boundaries encompasses about 226 million acres in 44 States and Puerto Rico, of which some 187 million acres are under Forest Service administration. In managing the National Forests, technical forestry is applied to the growing and harvesting of timber crops. Grazing use is managed to obtain proper range conservation along with utilization of the annual growth of forage. Watersheds are managed to regulate stream flow, prevent floods, and provide water for power, irrigation, navigation, and municipalities. Management includes the development, maintenance, and protection of sites and facilities for the millions of people who visit the National Forests each year for recreation purposes. Emphasis is given to protecting scenic quality while at the same time assuring availability for forest users. Wildlife habitat is managed to provide a suitable land and water environment for both game and nongame wildlife. Under the multiple use principles most areas are used for, or serve, more than one purpose or objective. For example, about 50 percent of the area within the National Forests serves five different purposes: (a) Timber production (b) Watershed protection (c) Forage production (d) Wildlife production (e) Recreation An additional 28 percent serves four purposes in varying combinations. Of the remainder, 21 percent of the total serves three purposes with only 1 percent of the total reserved exclusively for a single purpose, mainly campgrounds and special use areas, such as summer homesites, pastures, and corrals. The varied interests which frequently conflict and which must be reconciled, and the vast areas covered, clearly require careful planning and skillful management of the National Forest properties to most effectively serve the Nation's people. The protection of the National Forests includes the control of forest fires, the control of tree disease and insect epidemics, and the prevention of trespass. The major development activities of the National Forests are reforestation; timber stand improvement; revegetation; construction of roads, recreational facilities, range and other necessary improvements; and land acquisition and exchanges. Each of these activities contributes to the local economy and in many areas serves to improve incomes of the rural poor. The economic importance of the National Forests and National Grasslands is evident when it is considered that: (a) They produced a cash income in fiscal year 1969 of over $321.3 million. Approximately 65 percent of this amount is credited to the general fund in the Federal Treasury (miscellaneous receipts). The remainder is distributed in accordance with special acts of Congress, including 25 percent to the States or counties in which lands are located, and 10 percent made available for construction and maintenance of the Forest Service system of roads and trails. In addition to these cash receipts, there are the even greater economic values which result from the processing of end products derived from this utilization of National Forest timber, forage, and minerals. Recreation, wildlife and water result in important economic activity in local, State, and national economies. There are also important intangible values of water, recreation, and wildlife such as the esthetic enjoyment of natural beauty. (b) The area within National Forests boundaries is equivalent to some 10 percent of the area of the continental United States. Over 40 percent of this land is within areas now experiencing economic distress. Proper management, development, and utilization of these lands are important factors in permanent improvement of these local economies. Millions of people who live in and near the National Forests are supported in whole or in part through the economic development arising from the forests and their resources. These resources offer the most favorable basis for developing prosperous and vigorous local economies and communities. (c) The National Forests supplied 11.8 billion board feet of timber in fiscal year 1969 to the Nation's forest products industries. This is expected to increase to 12.9 billion board feet in 1970. Dependence of the forest products industries on National Forest timber continues to increase as the result of depletion of good quality timber on private lands. In some areas, the dependence of local industry on National Forest timber is almost 100 percent. Without this supply some small communities could not exist. (d) About 7.3 million head of domestic livestock (including calves and lambs) are grazed on the National Forests and Grasslands. In many local areas this is a major industry. Without such Federal rangelands the economic activity would be drastically curtailed from currently depressed levels. (e) These lands provide protection to municipal water supplies for nearly all western cities and towns and many in the East, to irrigation water used on about 20 million acres of western lands, and to many streams with water power developments. They provide flood protection to thousands of acres of rich valley lands and help to prevent more rapid siltation of reservoirs and stream channels. A dependable water supply is an important prerequisite for economic and community development. (f) They provide a habitat for a large part of the big game animal population, for birds, for millions of small game animals and furbearers, and for fish. Hunting and fishing constitute an important supplementary source of income for numerous communities, many of which are economically depressed. (g) They provide opportunities for healthful outdoor recreation, with a minimum of restrictions. Outdoor recreation is an important source of supplementary income in most areas as well as providing recreational opportunities for local residents. In some relatively depressed communities it becomes even more important. 2. Forestry research. The Forest Service conducts research in the entire field of forestry and the management of forest and related ranges. This includes the growth and harvesting of timber, its protection from fire, insects, and diseases, the protection and management of watersheds, and improved methods for development |