From: [Clinton HQ] at [Campaign92.Org] (Clinton/Gore '92)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: CLINTON: Forest Conference Fact Sheet 3.30.93
Date: 30 Mar 1993 22:34:15 -0500

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
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--For Immediate Release                     March 30, 1993

                 THE FOREST CONFERENCE
Fact Sheet

o    The Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture 
manages 23 million acres in spotted owl range. The 
Bureau of Land Management in the Department of Interior 
manages 2.4 million acres in spotted owl range. 
(Northern spotted owl range is in the forests west of 
the Cascade Mountains in Washington, Oregon, and 
northern California. Within that range, the owls 
preferred habitat is old growth forests.)

o    Old growth forests are those at least 200 years old 
or older. Nearly 90 percent of the region's old growth 
forests already have been logged. Today, there are an 
estimated 8 to 9 million acres of old growth forest, 
most on federally-owned land.

o    During the 1980s, the northern spotted owl region -
- public and private lands  accounted for more than 30 
percent of the lumber produced in the United States. 
Since  about one-third of recent harvests in the owl 
region occur on federal lands, about 10  percent of 
domestic timber supply is potentially affected by 
spotted owl protection.
     
o    The rate of employment growth in Washington and 
Oregon exceeded the U.S. average in every year since 
1986. 

o    In 1970, timber related jobs accounted for about 10 
percent of  total regional employment. By 1989, timber 
employment was about 140,000, which represents about 4 
percent of total regional employment. (Note: The Fish 
and Wildlife Service listed the northern spotted owl as 
threatened in July, 1990.)

o    During the 1980s, the number of jobs in the lumber 
and wood products sectors in the region declined from 10 
jobs per million board feet of harvest to below 8 jobs 
per million board feet.

o    In 1968, Oregon had 300 sawmills. In  1988, Oregon 
had 165 sawmills. In 1968, California had 216 sawmills. 
In 1988, California had 93 sawmills. In 1978, Washington 
had 182 sawmills. In 1988, Washington had 118 sawmills. 

o    By law, logs from federal lands cannot be exported, 
and logs from western state lands  are highly 
restricted.

o    Congressional Committees with jurisdiction in 
federal forest management are: Senate Agriculture 
Committee, Senate Environment and Public Works 
Committee, and Senate Energy and Natural Resources 
Committee; House Natural Resources Committee, 
Agriculture Committee, and House Merchant Marine and 
Fisheries Committee.

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