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<br />- ^ . ~ 3 <br />i} 'L JJ <br /> <br />() <br /> <br />The timber figures f.-rivt'n ahon', urc f'omewhnt mi51eading. First, <br />of the ahout 141,931 Heres of the Forest SeI'vlee proposal which are <br />covered with mature timber types, only aLout 26,600 acres would be <br />operable under current log~ing methods. Thus, of the f'stimuted <br />2,232,:385 thoU88J1d Lonnl (<.>ct in the arcn of th(' Fon'::;l Service <br />propo:-,ul, only UIl cstinmt{'d 404,17:1 thousand board feet would be <br />capahle oC harvesting. (No (:ornpnrnble figures l'oncoming' "opertlhle" <br />acre ago nnd its timber arc avuilnble for the nJditions, totrt.lling 462,726 <br />thousand Lonrd feet, contained in S. IS6;~.) <br />Secondly, the total timber resoUf(~e must be viewed in relation to <br />tbe ulluwllble cut requirements. Thus, of the 404,17;~ thousund board <br />feet availahle for hun-esting, the nnnualllllowable cut would be about <br />4,041 thousand bonn} feet. <br />Thirdly, timber harvest nnt only within the boundary of the pro- <br />posed \Veminuche \Vildernes.'" areR, butin the whole section of Natiollnl <br />Forest is very marginal. Virt lJully all of the urens within the proposed <br />wi1denless of concern to tiwhcr intl'rests are Ilbove 10,000 feet in <br />elevation. Logf:,ring off high altitude timber rcsult6 in exposure of <br />unstable, slopIng ~oils to erosion and lengthens the time nece:->snry for <br />regrowth (some 200 yonTS). The Foref't rccognizf'd thi~ iu its statement <br />in its own wilderness propostlJ: "The timber production pot(,Iltiul at <br />lower elevntioIls is moderate, but is relatively poor at higher elevll.tious <br />because of shallow, rocky soils, steep termin, and ll. short f"rowing <br />~cason. Timber cover is also essentinl for compatible wildl."mess <br />purposes stIch us watershed, wildlife, recrpll.tion, und aesthetics.":I <br /> <br />. P.3, 11Iprlntedln II. Doc. Xo. 112-218, pI. 1ft <br />