APPALACHIAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Senator BIBLE. It is indicated that you are still involved in the Appalachian regional development program through providing technical assistance to timber development organizations. Would you please indicate for the record your activities in connection with this program? (The information follows:) Timber Development Organization studies, authorized by the Appalachian Regional Commission in four States (Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and New York) are presently being conducted by the Forest Service in cooperation with State forestry agencies. The purpose is to test the feasibility of this approach in areas encompassing several counties. It is directed to the combining of forest ownerships so that each owner can benefit from the advantages of larger size. Each study involves three phases including (1) collection of information on resources and landowner attitudes, (2) preparation of feasibility studies and recommendations for type of organization, and (3) establishment of a pilot corporation including technical assistance and evaluation. Two corporations have been established to date (New York and Tennessee) and ARC funds have been made available to employ a professional forester to provide technical services to the pilot operation. PERSONNEL INVOLVED Senator BIBLE. I understand the total cost of this program is funded by the Appalachian Regional Development Commission. How many of your personnel are involved in this program and how many of them are paid by the Development Commission? Mr. BACON. We could supply for the record the exact number, but there are very few involved. Our current activity involves four different areas in four States where we are trying to organize landowners into groups so that they can cooperatively arrange for harvesting and timber stand improvement work. Not more than 2 or 3 man-years are involved directly in this activity. Only one Forest Service employee is paid from Commission funds. Senator BIBLE. There will be placed in the record the material supplied to justify your budget estimate of $211,561,000 for forest land management. This is $18,751,000 more than was appropriated in fiscal year 1970. 1 In addition, $700,000 is available by transfer from cooperative range improvements. SUMMARY OF INCREASES AND DECREASES (ON BASIS OF ADJUSTED APPROPRIATION) Forest land management: Sales administration and management: To increase harvest in the Range improvements: To provide fencing, water developments and Construction and maintenance of improvements for fire and general Payments to employees' compensation fund: To increase amount Land classification, adjustments, and surveys: Decrease is due to the need to hold Federal expenditures to a minimum.... Water resource development related activities: Decrease is due to the need to hold Federal expenditures to a minimum.. 4,642,000 Range management. 6,571,000 4,642,000 Range revegetation.... Soil and water management. Mineral claims, leases, and special uses. Forest fire protection.. Fighting forest fires. Acquisition of lands, Weeks Act.. 1 Excludes following reprograming proposed as a result of savings due to construction deferrals pursuant to President's directive of Sept. 4, 1969, and need for additional funds because of Wisconsin tornado, Hurricane Camille, and California floods: 2 Includes following reprograming made to cover California flood damage repairs: Forest land management: National forest protection and management: Construction and maintenance of improvements for fire and general purposes (including Subtotal.. Insect and disease control. 1,470,000 -1,500,000 * Includes allocation to the Department of the Interior, Geological Survey: 1969, $270,000; 1970, $270,000; 1971, $270,000. • Excludes proposed supplemental for "Forest land management," fighting forest fires-$21,000,000. $ Includes allocation to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management: 1969, $939,000; 1970, $725,000; 1971, $877,700. Includes fiscal year 1969-70 supplemental of $460,000 for timber sale acceleration which was obligated in fiscal year 1970 (Public Law 91-47, July 22, 1969). Also, includes $1,300,000 emergency firefighting funds. GEOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN OF OBLIGATIONS National Forest Protection and Management (includes Projects (1) through (10) on following pages) (1) $5,904,000 increase in regular timber sale program will provide for an increased harvest of 230 million board feet. Costs have increased because the standard of work in relation to environmental quality and other land uses have been upgraded. Need for soil scientists, landscape architects, ecologists, and other specialists in the timber field is increasing rapidly. As the program progresses, timber sale work has been moved into more remote and difficult areas. (2) $396,000 increase to cover increased costs of inventory and management plan preparation of commercial National Forest land. (3) $1,040,000 decrease in the commercial thinning and salvage sale program. (a) Administer the harvest of an additional 250 million board feet of commercial thinning and salvage material. The harvest program will increase from 450 million feet in fiscal year 1970 to 700 million feet in fiscal year 1971. (b) The commercial thinning and salvage sale preparation program will decrease from 895 million board feet in fiscal year 1970 to 600 million board feet in fiscal year 1971. The total program for fiscal year 1971, compared with 1969 and 1970, follows: The following tabulation reflects workload and cost information for fiscal years 1969, 1970 and 1971. The unit cost for the fiscal year 1971 reflects a careful analysis of the cost of doing the timber sale and harvest job which is designed to protect the Government's interest and would be fair to timber purchasers. The unit cost for 1969 and 1970 does not reflect fully the cost of the time of soil scientists, ecologists, and other specialists who contributed time from their related resource activities to help maintain higher standards required and to meet the demand for accelerated timber sales in those years. |