"What of the future? "Can this trend be expected to continue? "Apparently it can and will continue-probably at an accelerated pace." THE CASE FOR THE WILDERNESS BILL 11 25 What does this mean for S. B. 1123, the wilderness bill? On the basis of the evidence, I cannot see how the forest industries can argue against the passage of this bill, nor do they have a case against future establishment of new areas which would fall within the provisions of the wilderness bill. There is no timber famine; only a market famine due to increased competition. The neanderthal economic theories of the forest industries in their attitude toward the wilderness bill fits well into the thesis presented by Harvard economist John Kenneth Galbraith in his book "The Affluent Society." Professor Galbraith argues that although we can now make and distribute goods faster than we can use them, our ideas and social attitudes are still derived from the long, bitter experience our ancestors had with scarcity. PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOREST SITUATION What is the situation in northwest forests? Is there enough second growth and virgin forests to meet the economic needs of the industry and to still provide us with the opportunity to dedicate some of these lands to the American public? Does the local industry have a legitimate reason for opposing S. B. 1123, the wilderness bill? There is no timber famine in the Pacific Northwest. Washington and Oregon are faced with the same problems as the rest of the Nation's forest industry, but possibly more so. Increased competition from lumber substitutes, increased competition from the rapidly growing southern forests, and the rise in prices of lumber products are all problems faced by the Northwest. INTENSIVE INTEGRATED FORESTRY NOT STANDARD PRACTICE Intensive integrated forestry has not become standard practice in this region. In this respect, we lag behind the South. Some of the large companies, who own their own land, find it pays to practice integrated forestry. Most of the small operators do not practice much integrated forestry beyond reseeding their lands. Unhappily we must add that here and there some executives of major companies seem to be indifferent to any conservation that does not fatten company earnings. They are today's old-style barons.20 As far as the Forest Service is concerned, the biggest step toward intensive management has been the increased fire protection given their lands. Otherwise, they appear to be lagging behind the intensively managed lands of Weyerhaeuser, Scott, Simpson, and Crown Zellerbach. This may be due to lack of adequate funds, lack of adequate personnel, or the fact that it is easier just to rely on the overmature forests. Prof. Burt P. Kirkland, in his study of forest resources of the Douglas-fir region, summed the situation up in this way: "Some phases of intensive management such as fire protection are underway. When the forest owners progress through the present period of overabundance in the overmature age classes of timber, intensive forest management will become a reality." Dr. George Marra of Washington State College has pointed out that more wood is wasted in the Northwest than is turned into marketable products. The 60 percent of timber potential we are failing to utilize must be processed to meet changing economic conditions. One can only conclude from such studies as these that in order for the Northwest to compete with the South we need to get rid of wasteful sawmills and encourage further pulpmills, which encourage the use of the wastes. THE NORTHWEST CAN DO BETTER There is still too much of a laissez faire attitude toward growing trees in the Northwest. We are too content to let nature take its course. We know that National Lumber Manufacturers' Association; address by Robert M. Ingram, president; Mar. 9, 1959, Mobile, Ala. 20 See footnote 3 above. 27 "Forest Resources of the Douglas-fir Region," Burt P. Kirkland, Joint Committee of Forest Conservation, West Coast Lumbermen's Association and the Pacific Northwest Loggers Association, July 1946, p. 25. we can do better though. The Danes have taken our Douglas-fir and received far better results in an exotic surrounding than we do in the Douglas-fir's natural environment. Danish foresters are producing under management more total cubic volume on site III land than is found in natural unthinned stands on site I in the Pacific Northwest.28 Thinning forests allows for utilization of most of the forest. Wood yield, according to studies has increased 70 percent during a complete life cycle of a forest.20 "Salvage logging under old-growth timber and prelogging of small trees as separate operations ahead of main cut gives a 10percent higher wood yield than a combined single operation." Fertilizers applied to poletimbers on poor site lands showed a 65-percent increase in growth over similar unfertilized lands during a 5-year period in the State of Washington." Our industry has room for improvement, and this we encourage, for the better job they do makes possible additional forest recreation areas so vitally needed in America. 81 FUTURE OF FORESTRY COMPATIBLE WITH WILDERNESS NEEDS As Washington and Oregon's regrowth comes, we can only conclude that there will be a need to expand the pulp industry. Table 4 gives ample evidence of this. This evidence gathered by the now Chief of the Forest Service indicates the intense need to integrate our second-growth growing stock. It shows how great our waste can be. Use of this waste will make possible future pulpmills. TABLE 4.-Site III mortality 31 Number of trees per acre at 30th year--- Number of trees lost to mortality---- 900 200 700 If the consumption of lumber remains stable and does not expand with the economy, Washington must turn more and more to new products derived from pulp. We may expect to see more examples of the substitution of fiber products for lumber products. If these can occur in just a few years due to research and technology, how can we be sure it is wise to wait through a very long cycle for saw logs, and bear the heavy burden over these years, when some new technology may make the final log less desirable than it is now? MORE FORESTRY AND MORE WILDERNESS 32 This is just one further reason why the future of forestry is compatible with the creation of new outdoor recreation lands and the wilderness bill. There will be a sufficient supply of trees for pulp needs without having to overburden the market with trees from what should be our wilderness forests. The responsibility for better land use and forest utilization rests with the industry itself. The future of the public's forest recreation lands rests with their attitude, too. FUTURE OF NORTHWEST WOOD SUPPLY What is the future of wood supply in the Northwest? Most competent foresters are predicting a healthy future for supply. F. K. Weyerhaeuser at the 50th anniversary of the University of Washington College of Forestry predicted "that the harvest of old-growth timber would be extended well into the 21st century, and that beginning about 1970 the rise in Washington sawtimber would more than offset the decline in use of old-growth timber." " Weyerhaeuser went on to point out, "If the demands for wood warrant it, we may sometime be able to grow two crops during the period it now takes to grow one." 28 "Better Douglas-Fir Forests From Better Seeds," Leo Isaac, University of Washington Press, 1949. 20 "Integrated Utilization at Crown Zellerbach," E. P. Stamm, American Forests, November 1957. 30 See footnote 29 above. "What About Fertilizing Forests?" H. A. Howells, American Forests, December 1957. 31 The Yield of Douglas Fir in the Pacific Northwest," Richard McArdle, Walter H. Meyer, Donald Bruce, Technical Bulletin 201, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1957. 32 "Better Timber Management Through Pulp and Paper Research," Robert J. Seidl (director, Central Research Laboratory, Simpson Timber Co.), American Forests, November 33 "Weyerhaeuser President Predicts Healthy Future for Forest Products in University Address," Everett Daily Herald, Everett, Wash., Nov. 12, 1957. SNOHOMISH COUNTY GROWTH ALREADY EXCEEDS CUT If studies for Snohomish County, Wash., are any indication, the year 1970 may be too far distant for our second-growth sawtimber to catch up with cut in the Northwest. As table 5 shows we have grown more timber than we have cut in Snohomish County by 474 million board-feet. One factor that increased the board-foot volume of sawtimber during the periods of inventory was forest growth. Both net growth in sawtimber trees and the ingrowth of poletimber trees into the sawtimber class contributed to this increase.** TABLE 5.-Comparison of sawtimber volumes, initial inventory, and Another healthy aspect of timber prospects in the Pacific Northwest, has come with the first reinventory of our national forest lands since the 1930's. This has meant tremendous increases in timber volume where the surveys have thus far taken place. Figures that were not accounted for in the Timber Resources Review. For example, the timber volumes of the Suislaw National Forest in Oregon jumped nearly 100 percent. Not all inventories on the Pacific Northwest region have been computed. Nevertheless, there can be an expected marked increase. For example, on the Mount Baker National Forest of Washington, where the inventory is only partially completed, they have changed the annual allowable cut estimated in the 1930's from 145 million board-feet to 222 million board-feet in 1958.35 The interesting point on the Mount Baker National Forest is that at the same time the annual allowable cut has gone up 77 million board-feet, the Forest Service has chosen to reduce the size of its proposed wilderness areas. HAVE WE ENOUGH FORESTS FOR OUR RECREATION LANDS AND THE FOREST INDUSTRY The North Cascade Conservation Council believes that there is no timber famine in the region nor is there likely to be one. There is sufficient supply for our desired outdoor recreation lands and an ample supply for sustained-yield logging. For this reason we support the wilderness bill without qualms. Any informed person who argues against wilderness areas and national parks does so from purely selfish motives and does not have the best interest of the Washington community at heart. THE ECONOMIC MEASURE OF WILDERNESS As we indicated earlier in this statement, wilderness has no easily applied economic measure. We cannot measure that which is intangible by the boardfoot. Unfortunately, money has become the means by which Americans try to measure everything today. It would seem we are progressing from "I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills," to "I love thy stocks and mills, thy goods and crumpled bills." But there are those who see a need for the intangible qualities in our way of life such as one of our former Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. "All of us ought to want to see nature preserved. Take a big tree whose architect has been the ages. Anything man does toward it may hurt it and cannot help it. Remember that we have to contend not merely with knavery, but with folly; and see to it that you by your actions create the kind of public opinion which will put a stop to any destruction of, or any marring of the 84"Forest Statistics for Snohomish County, Wash.," U.S. Forest Service. Report No. 128; Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, USDA, May 1957. 35 "Progress in 1958: Plans for 1959." Mount Baker National Forest, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Feb. 9, 1959. wonderful and beautiful gifts that you have received from nature, that you ought to hand on as a precious heritage to your children and your children's children." "36 INDIRECT BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR RECREATION LANDS The opponents of the wilderness bill would say it was fine to have all the sentiments expressed by Teddy Roosevelt, but can you sell sentiment? Of course you can. Capitalizing on America's beauty is big business. Let us look in the direction of the indirect benefits of outdoor recreation land. (1) As a result of our higher standard of living, we find that outdoor recreation lands stimulate vacation travel. (2) Supply and service businesses develop near recreation areas. (3) Manufacture of recreational equipment is stimulated. (4) Property evaluations are increased. (5) Miscellaneous tax revenues are increased. (6) Diversified business and private businesses are encouraged near recreation areas. A NEW SOURCE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH With the forest industries lagging behind in the economic growth, we need to turn to new sources of economic rejuvenation. One of the major assets remaining to us in Washington is our scenic areas. This can stimulate an inflow of money into our State. The four top industries in our State are defense, forestry, farming, and tourism. The Department of Commerce and Economic Development, State of Washington, figures that if we could keep each tourist in our State just one more day, tourism could be larger than all but defense. A study in 1955 by the State College of Washington estimated that tourists spent $271 million in the State. The department of commerce and economic development estimates that the figure may be $330 million in 1958 with $13 million going to State taxes.37 Several studies have shown in this State and around several national parks in the Nation that each tourist spends about 23 cents per hour on an average. 38 39 TOURISM REVENUES FROM OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK One of the reasons for the interest in the State of Washington has been the upsurge of interest in Olympic National Park. In 1945 about 50,000 people visited this park. In 1958 the number who visited Olympic National Park was 1,181,523. The National Park Service estimates that 34 percent of these were out-of-State visitors who spent an average of 4 to 6 days in our State.*0 Taking the stay at the lower level of 4 days, this means revenues to the State by out-of-State tourists visiting Olympic National Park of $8,869,000." The higher level would be $14,304,000.12 CASCADE NATIONAL PARK As members of the Washington congressional delegation know, the North Cascades Conservation Council has been urging the creation of a Cascade National Park in Washington. It has all the potentiality of being our Nation's greatest national park. It is a unique region with unsurpassed character-rugged peaks averaging from their base over 5,000 feet in height; high sloping alpine meadows luxuriant with verdant growth; two to three times the volume of glaciers as exist in the rest of the United States; unique ice fields existing nowhere else in the United States and rare at this latitude in the world; the fjordlike beauty of the 55-mile-long Lake Chelan; and complementing this unique scene, valleys with virgin forest, some of rain forest proportions. We know that it is not within the province of this wilderness bill to create new dedicated areas. However, when this national park is created, much of the park should then fall within the direction of Senate bill 1123, the wilderness bill. 36 President Theodore Roosevelt in a speech delivered at Big Tree Grove, Santa Clara, Calif., 1903. 37 1959 May Set Tourist Mark," editorial, the Seattle Times, Mar. 5, 1959. 38 "The Washington Tourist Survey, 1952," R. F. Lanzillotti. Bulletin No. 23, State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash., Mar. 1953. 39 Glacier National Park Visitors in Montana," H. J. Hoflich and M. E. Beatty, Regional Study No. 1, Montana State University, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Missoula, Mont., May 1950. 40 Letter to Philip H. Zalesky from Olympic National Park, Mar. 16, 1959. 41 $0.23 × 96 (hours) X 401,717 $8,869,000. 42 $0.23 X 144 (hours) X 401,717 $14,304,000. ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF A CASCADE NATIONAL PARK The economic benefit to the State from such a Cascade National Park is, of course, unknown. The best guide we have is what has happened with Olympic National Park. Such a park would utilize the full economic capacity of what is known as the Mount Baker Forests. Such indirect economic benefits derived from such a park would contribute greatly to the economic growth of such communities as Wenatchee, Chelan, Everett, Darrington, Mount Vernon, Burlington, Arlington, and Bellingham. All of Washington would benefit, however. Estimations have been made on the conservative side. For example, the receipts from the Mount Baker National Forest which are higher than the average for the past 5 years. The price for cut logs in 1957 was higher than in 1958. The average cut price for 1957 was $20.15.43 An estimate shows that such a national park would subtract 40 million board. feet of allowable cut from Mount Baker Forest's annual cut of 225 million boardfeet. This writer actually feels that the total might be closer to half this amount. Nevertheless, even with this larger subtraction, it would be possible to make a full allowable cut larger than at present and add an additional $800,000 to Mount Baker receipts. The average visitor stay is 48 hours, which is conservative when we view the average stay for Olympic National Park as 96 to 144 hours. EQUIVALENTS IN ANNUAL PAYROLLS 44 The U.S. Department of Commerce calculates that 24 tourists per day per year is the economic equivalent to an industry with an annual payroll of $100,000.* For Olympic National Park under these figures, this means that tourism amounts to the equivalent of over 183 industries with payrolls of $100,000 per year." A Cascade National Park would have a similar potential to that of Olympic National Park. This is a dormant source of revenue not yet exploited. The spreading of such payrolls would do a great deal for the progressive economic development of the cities around such a park-Wenatchee, Chelan, Everett, Bellingham, Darrington, etc. The possibility is one which should stimulate the thinking of Washingtonians greatly. And thus, too, do we have our proof that sentiment can be capitalized on profitably. This plus the other facts we have presented seems to us to prove that there is no economic justification to oppose Senate bill 1123. SUMMARY In summation, the North Cascades Conservation Council would desire to state its point of view in this way: (1) No timber crisis exists in America or the Pacific Northwest. (2) The demand for lumber should continue stable. (3) The lumber market will face increasing competition from substitutes such as aluminum. (4) Recent timber inventories in the Pacific Northwest indicate increased volumes not previously known to exist. (5) The problem for the forest industry is not undersupply of timber but oversupply. (6) There is no need to glut the wood market with wood from our wilderness areas, present and potential. (7) More forestry and more wilderness are compatible ideas. (8) The indirect benefits of outdoor recreation areas can do much to stimulate the economic growth of the Pacific Northwest. (9) There is no economic justification to oppose the wilderness bill. Mr. ZALESKY. I just want to say this: that the North Cascades Conservation Council is a corporation within the State of Washington. We organized about 2 years ago and we now have about 500 members. And as a conservation organization we would not do any 43 See footnote 35 above. 44 "Washington State's 1958 Tourist Industry," (mimeograph) Tourist Promotion Division, Washington State Department of Commerce and Economic Development 45 401,717 (tourists) X4 (days in State) 183 industries with equivalent of $100,000 24 X 365 payrolls. |