Todd Tiahrt: “I oppose this amendment. I am also a fiscal conservative, but I think this amendment is misdirected. We should not limit…”

“I oppose this amendment. I am also a fiscal conservative, but I think this amendment is misdirected. We should not limit the funds to do proper forest management on the Tongass. Some limited road building is needed to take care of the land. The Tongass National Forest is, indeed, a wonderful place. But under the existing forest management, approximately 90 percent of the 16.8 million acre forest, over 15 million acres is roadless and undeveloped. Only 4 percent of the forest is suitable for commercial timber harvest, and only half of that area is within the inventoried roadless areas. The amendment would prevent the Forest Service from doing road maintenance on a large area of southeast Alaska. Most of these communities have no road access to the outside world, but they need the Forest Service roads to get around during their daily activities. This amendment would also harm a variety of forestry, recreation and wildlife conservation activities by preventing the proper road maintenance.”