Dear Sam: I saw your original posting about the potential budget gutting of the federal natural resources agencies. I think that you raise a very valid issue. was in a meeting with a number of federal and state natural resource agency people yesterday. One of the Forest Service supervisors said that there is a very basic question of the willingness of the American public to invest in forests - particularly when there will not necessarily be a financial return as in the past with the federal timber sale program. This forest supervisor mentioned that his forest had a decline of $165 million (per year) in federal timber receipts because of the drop in the timber sale harvests. I suspect that the Forest Service timber sale program in FY 95 will actually show a negative cash-flow for the first time ever. That will bring yet more pressure for more cost cutting. Yet, the federal agencies spent some $800 million or so on emergency fire fighting costs last summer. As our federal government lurches towards Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 bankruptcy, there will be a need for the federal land management agencies to either generate their own internal funds through the sale of timber or other fees or risk losing yet more staff. Martin Desmond mdesmond@forestnet.com
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