Tina Smith: “I have detailed for you the dramatic story of the Federal timber in Oregon that serves as the backdrop for the issue at…”

“I have detailed for you the dramatic story of the Federal timber in Oregon that serves as the backdrop for the issue at hand. Beginning in the late 1980s, timber sales received the primary funding source for the 25 Percent Fund and began a precipitous decline for the reasons I have explained earlier. This plunge in receipts intensified and then bottomed out at a much lower level in the 1990s. The decline in receipts impacted rural communities in the West, particularly communities in Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Idaho. For example, in fiscal year 1995, national forest revenues were $557 million, only 36 percent of fiscal year 1989 peak revenues of $1.531 billion. In fiscal year 2004 national forest revenues were $281 million. That is from 'billions' to 'millions.' Payments to many States under the 25 Percent Fund Act declined by an average of 70 percent from 1986 through 1998. These are national figures. Those in Oregon were far more severe, reflecting the drastic fall in the timber sales program.”