Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

LOGGING, KONKOLVILLE LUMBER CO., INC. Mr. Osborn. I'm Larry Osborn, resource manager for Konkolville Lumber Co. in Orofino. I wish to speak on behalf of the lumber company and myself regarding the wilderness legislation. We feel the RARE I and RARE II should have been brought to conclusion and allowed the Forest Service lands to be managed under the various uses that the Forest Service came up with after the input from all the people involved. This was not the case. We feel that your hearings, and your direction, and what's needed to resolve this problem are a main concern as a user of Forest Service resources, timber, which account for some 40 to 50 percent of our sawmills' needs has to be addressed. We feel that if this timber is not made available under a multiple use that sawmills such as ours will not be in existence much longer in Idaho. We feel that the 100 and some people directly dependent upon us deserve the right for an economic future in Idaho. We strongly urge release language that will allow those areas not designated as wilderness to be brought back in the Forest Service planning process and to be orderly developed. Thank you.