Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Mr. MacKenzie. My name is Don MacKenzie. And I'm presenting testimony for the Grangeville Chamber of Commerce. The Grangeville Chamber of Commerce is made up of 103 members representing the business community of Grangeville. The economics of Grangeville and Idaho County are strongly dependent upon the forest products industry. Our county road maintenance program and financing for our public school systems depend heavily upon 25 percent of fund receipts from national forest timber sale. The Nez Perce National Forest contributes a substantial share of the timber needed to supply our sawmills with raw material. The current annual harvest level on the Nez Perce National Forest is approximately 100 million feet. This allowable harvest volume contributes to the support of five sawmills. Planned harvest levels for the forest depend upon the availability of commercial forest lands included in all roadless areas on the forest. Failure to obtain quick release of these areas for multiple-use management will result in a drastic reduction of timber volumes offered for sale by the Nezperce National Forest. Failure to achieve legislation to establish the sufficiency of the RARE II environmental impact statement and to make a reasonable land allocation of the roadless areas in Idaho to either wilderness or multiple use management will result in a catastrophic blow to the timer based economy in the State. The potential threat to the economy of Grangeville and Idaho County is not theoretical—it is real, Senator McClure. The Grangeville Chamber of Commerce urges you to seriously consider these 503 recommendations which we submit to you. One, no further wilderness acreage should be dedicated from the Nezperce National Forest; two, release all roadless areas addressed by the committee language of the Central Idaho Wilderness Act; three, release all roadless areas included in previous unit plans; four, release the Salmon Face roadless area 1-855 and Rapid River roadless area I922; five, with regard to other roadless areas the State: (a) exclude all commercial forest lands from wilderness proposals, especially with regard to the Mallard-Larkin roadless area 1-300; (b) exclude all areas with high mineral potential from wilderness proposals; six, release of roadless areas from wilderness consideration should be permanent. The Grangeville Chamber of Commerce believes it is time to end the uncertainty as to how national forest lands are to be managed in Idaho. A decision must be made soon as to whether roadless areas will be managed as wilderness or released for multiple use management. Our sawmills and mines must know what lands will be available to contribute present and future supplies of raw materials. A reasonable and fair Idaho release bill will not only provide for wilderness protection for remaining high quality wilderness candidate areas but also assure the economic survival of timber dependent communities such as Grangeville. Thank you for the opportunity to testify at this important hearing.