This report analyzes the issues surrounding an end to the
timber sales program on national forests. Among the findings
are the following:

     * The national forest timber sales program operated at
a net loss to taxpayers of at least $791 million in fiscal
year 1996, and returned $0 (no receipts) to taxpayers.

     * If we ended the timber sales program on national
forests and redirected the logging subsidy, we could provide
over $25,000 for each public lands timber worker for
retraining or ecological restoration work--and still have
over $200 million left over to reduce the federal deficit in
the first year alone.

     * We don't need to log national forests for our timber
supply, given the fact that the timber cut annually from
national forests nationwide now comprises only 3.9% of this
nation's total annual wood consumption, and less than 5% of
the saw timber used for construction.
 
     * The Forest Service's own nationwide poll found that
most Americans oppose commodity production, including timber
sales, on national forests.

     * Logging on national forests INCREASES the risk of
forest fires more than any other human activity.

     * The above findings were reviewed and verified by the
Congressional Research Service(CRS). In a report dated
August 22, 1997, CRS concluded that, “...as the commentary
demonstrates in figure 4, essentially NO timber sales
receipts were deposited in the General Treasury in FYI 1996
to offset timber program expenditures. Thus, one can
conclude that $791 million is a reasonable estimate of the
cost of the Forest Service's FY 1996 timber program to
taxpayers." (emphasis in original)

     * In summary, the national forest timber sales program,
in addition to being horribly destructive ecologically,
loses hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars each year,
increases forest fires, is unnecessary for our timber
supply, and should be ended.