Fed forestry called wasteful

pOLITICS. not pri<'t's. prompt puhli,' r timber srrpply. C.orge Crair:. se,'.-mgr'. of the [.estern Lumber N{anufacturers Association charged during a recent speech before the San Francisco Hoo-Hoo club.

He quoted Wesley Ricard. forestry consrrltant and advisor to the State of Oregon, rvho recently told the U.S. Congress that "the single greatest cause o{ timber scarcity is that the U. S. Forest Service timber harvest is only a fraction of what it can and -.houl<l he . our studl' demonstrates to the increast'd price of stumpage irr tht: conlentional way, it does appear likelv that the public will again call the shots. It rvill be done through the political process by demanding that housing needs bt: met with better management of the national forests. It was politics that caused the establishment of the tederal timber reserves in 1897 "to furnish a continuous supply of timber fol the ust' and necessities of citizens of the Lnited States." The people are speaking again. quite clearly that current Forest Service policy means a loss and waste of almost B0 billion bf. over the next 90 years {rom the national forest commercial forest in western Oregon alone."

While the major seller has not responded

It should bring a new era of intensive management to the national forests and greater assurance of a raw material supply for dependent mills, workers and communities, it can mean more homes at reasonable prices.