The limited supply of Pacific yew bark, coupled with the existing and
potential demand, necessitates that the bark be utilized to the extent
practicable. However, in the fiscal year 1991 agreements with
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Co., and its yew bark collectors, neither BLM nor the
Forest Service established, as a goal or requirement, that all usable bark be
collected. For a variety of reasons, not all of the usable bark that could
have been collected from federal lands during the fiscal year 1991 harvest
season was collected.

For the 1992 harvest season, both BLM and the Forest Service have taken

actions to ensure increased utilization of yew bark. They have

incorporated strict utilization standards in their program plans and
operational procedures;

'Cancer Treatment: Efforts to More Fully Utilize the Pacific Yew's Bark (GAO/T-RCED-92-36, Mar. 4, 1992).

In January 1991, the National Cancer Institute and Bristol-Myers, a major pharmaceutical company, entered into a cooperative agreement to collaborate in research on and the development of taxol as an antitumor agent. Prior to entering into the cooperative agreement, Bristol-Myers had entered into a contract with Hauser Chemical Research, Inc., in 1990 to collect Pacific yew bark, process it, extract the taxol, and supply the taxol to Bristol-Myers. Hauser Chemical then formed a subsidiary, Hauser Northwest, Inc., to collect and initially process the bark. Hauser Northwest, in turn, contracted with other companies and individuals to collect the bark.

In June 1991, the Secretaries of Agriculture, the Interior, and Health and Human Services entered into a memorandum of understanding to give their best efforts, in accordance with applicable laws and policies, to help obtain the Pacific yew bark needed to produce taxol. Pursuant to this

2All amounts shown are in dry weight.