H-4444.1          _______________________________________________

                             HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4036

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State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

By Representatives Jones, Basich, Riley, Hargrove, Brumsickle, Paris, Bowman, Nealey, Ferguson, May, Sheldon, Fuhrman, Morton, Chandler, D. Sommers, Forner and P. Johnson

Read first time 02/03/92.  Referred to Committee on Natural Resources & Parks.Petitioning Congress for the right to salvage downed timber in the Olympic National Forest.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE:

     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

     WHEREAS, The State of Washington including the Olympic Peninsula area is in serious economic decline; and

     WHEREAS, Timber jobs, which support the communities, families, and related businesses, are in decline due to altered policies caused by the program for the protection of the spotted owl and changes in the timber industry; and

     WHEREAS, Timber which has been blown down in the Olympic National Forest and can be salvaged consists of twenty-three million board feet which is substantially above the sixteen million board feet harvested in 1991; and

     WHEREAS, A carefully supervised removal of downed trees can produce timber for local mills while at the same time leaving an undamaged old growth forest; and

     WHEREAS, Some logs can be left to decay and contribute to rich, fresh soil; and

     WHEREAS, Careful removal of the timber will reduce the potential for extensive bug infestation that could damage the forest; and

     WHEREAS, Salvage sales could provide eight to nine jobs per million board feet of salvaged timber and the sales are supported by the Governor's Timber Policy Team as well as the legislature;

     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the President and Congress pass legislation authorizing the United States Forest Service to offer salvage sales of blown down timber in the Pacific Northwest National Forests allowing the state to reap the economic and environmental benefits.

     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the United States Forest Service, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each member of Congress from the State of Washington.