Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

BEHALF OF THE IDAHO FOREST INDUSTRY COUNCIL Mr. Youngblood. Senator McClure, Senator Symms, Congress man Craig, my name is Glen Youngblood. I reside at 2508 Redway in Boise. I am a professional forester and I have worked in forest products industry in central Idaho for about 27 years. I'm em ployed by Boise Cascade and I am appearing here on behalf of the Idaho Forest Industry Council. I want to talk briefly about the central Idaho area, basically the area dependent on the Payette, Boise, and Sawtooth National For ests for timber. About 26 percent of the nonfarm income of the six county south ern Idaho area comes from the forest products industry. In 1982, which was not a good year, this industry generated about $34 mil lion in wages in this area. All the industry in central Idaho is heavily dependent on the national forests. Locally, as well as state wide, the volume of national forest timber has been declining steadily. Obviously, we can't continue to operate as an industry. Our industry has been heavily involved in the roadless area question because the reduced land base inevitably means a shrink ing timber supply. On a statewide basis in 1979, potential yields