Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

FORESTS INDUSTRIES Mr. Edgerton. My name is Dave Edgerton. I am general manager of Wickes Forest Industries' sawmill at Grangeville. Since passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, Congress has established slightly in excess of 3.8 million acres of wilderness in the State of Idaho. All the wilderness areas except the Sawtooth wilderness area are contained partially or totally within Idaho County. The boundaries for the wilderness areas were arrived at after many years of study, hearings such as this and many hours of debate—both on the local and congressional level. Through this process—particularly as it pertains to the Nez Perce National Forest—many compromises were reached, often to nobody's particular satisfaction. Some parties felt that different or additional acres should have been added to the wilderness system. Others felt that far too many mineral-rich lands and commercial forest lands were included in the wilderness system. Because of, or in spite of, these differing opinions the wilderness boundaries, as we know them, were established. As part of the tradeoff to establishing these boundaries, the remaining acreage on the Nez Perce Forest were essentially released for multiple-use management. While the timber industry and timber dependent communities were not happy with the results produced by our Congress, we at least naively thought that the land withdrawal issue had been resolved on the Nez Perce Forest and we could not go about planning our activities around the timber to be produced on the remaining acres. Such has not been the case. We have instead had the ninth circuit court tell us all of the last 12 or 13 years of study and meetings and compromise were insufficient, we have had appeals and lawsuits challenging Forest Service activities in the supposedly released roadless areas, and we have had others propose that an additional large block of the forest be set aside in the form of a National Recreation Area. The basic foundation for Idaho's economy is the bountiful trove of natural resources we find within the State. The State and its people cannot prosper if too much of its resource are withheld from development. The timber industry can neither prosper nor make the necessary investment to stay efficient unless there is assurance of a continuing supply of timber from Federal lands. At Grangeville we have mothballed one facility employing 40 people because of timber supply problems. At Riggins 65 people lost their jobs because uncertainties over timber supply precluded the owners from making the investment to rebuild at that location. Our own mill in Grangeville has been for sale for some time but has not sold—the stumbling block of course is—long-term timber supply. 429 In summary, we believe that Idaho Country and the communities like Grangeville have already contributed all they an afford to contribute. We ask that no further land withdrawls of any sort be made on the Nez Perce National Forest. Second, in order to end the confusion we now have regarding timber sales and timber availability, we ask that Congress declare the RARE II EIS legally sufficient and that Congress specifically release the remaining roadless areas on the Nez Perce for multiple use management. Thank you.