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OCR Page 1 of 128U.S., Timber Firms Agree timber what
To Save Old-Growth Tracts
By Tom Kenworthy
argued that if the 44 sales did not go
Washington Post Staff Writer
forward, any sales used to replace
them as called for under the timber
The Clinton administration and the
rider should not be subject to normal
timber industry have agreed to spare
environmental reviews.
44 tracts of old-growth trees in Ore-
Under the agreement struck late
gon and Washington and to replace
Tuesday, any sales of alternative
the timber volume with trees cut in
stands of timber that replace the 44
less environmentally sensitive areas.
original sales will be subject to such
The agreement is consistent with a
laws as the National Environmental
June federal appeals court decision
Policy Act. And because the timber
that upheld the administration's and
the environmental community's view
rider directs that replacement timber
that the 44 sales, totaling 176 million
volume be of "like" kind and volume,
board feet, should not go forward be-
it is possible the environmental com-
cause the tracts include nesting sites
munity may sue to block the replace-
for the marbled murrelet, a threat-
ment sales if they are viewed as a
ened seabird.
threat to fish or wildlife.
"We are pleased to bring this chap-
"This is not going to guarantee that
ter of the old-growth debate to a
no more old-growth trees fall," said
close," Agriculture Secretary Dan
Kristen Boyles, a Seattle-based attor-
Glickman said in a statement Tuesday
ney with the Sierra Club Legal De-
night. "With this behind us, we will be
fense Fund. "The replacement timber
able to get back to an environmentally
has to be of a like kind and value and
sound timber sale program."
that means big old trees.
There's
The timber sales in question-
not that many big trees left out
which include enough lumber to build
there."
17,000 average-sized homes-were
Because the sites of the replace-
among the most controversial of
ment sales-to be offered by the U.S.
those released by 1995 legislation
Forest Service within three years—
that has become known as the salvage
have yet to be determined, it is un-
timber rider. The provision, signed
clear how they might affect the Clin-
into law by President Clinton, direct-
ton administration's Northwest forest
ed that timber sales that had been
plan. That plan, announced in 1993,
awarded but not cut between 1990
seeks to provide a steady supply of
and 1995 in Oregon and Washington
about 1 billion board feet of timber
should proceed.
per year while safeguarding endan-
All of the 44 sales in question in the
gered fish and wildlife such as the
new agreement were originally halted
northern spotted owl through pro-
in 1992 when the marbled murrelet
tected reserves of old-growth timber.
was ruled to be a threatened species
Despite that uncertainty, Clinton
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
administration officials hailed the res-
Although the timber rider offered
olution of the dispute with the timber
protections for old-growth stands in-
industry over the 44 tracts.
habited by marbled murrelets, the
"This settlement shows that envi-
timber industry sought in court to en-
ronmental protection and jobs are
force a less rigorous standard for de-
compatible," said Lois J. Schiffer, as-
termining whether murrelets nested
sistant attorney general for environ-
in the sales areas. The industry also
ment and natural resources.
Harold-
last night's
talking points
The Washington Post
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1996,
cover this
-Jen
2