""Something will have gone out of all of us as a people if we let the remaining wilderness be destroyed."

- Wallace Stegner

America's first National Forests were established over one hundred years ago, and today we have 155 of them, stretching across 191 million acres. But sadly, almost all of our old growth forests are now gone and industrial logging has turned our publicly owned National Forests into a patchwork of clearcuts and logging roads. Commercial logging has taken a harsh toll on the land, draining nutrients from the soil, washing topsoil into streams, destroying wildlife habitat, and intensifying the severity of forest fires. We need to protect what's left of our wild forest heritage -- we must get the timber companies out of our National Forests.

Healthy Forests Protect Water Quality

Healthy forests purify drinking water, stabilize hillsides, and protect us from floods. Hillsides with clearcuts or logging roads lose their ability to absorb heavy rains. Several Forest Service studies in the Northwest found that over 70% of mudslides and landslides in some areas were linked with logging roads. Without trees to soak up moisture and roots to hold the soil, water gushes down the slopes, washing silt into streams and polluting our drinking water. Over 80% of the nation's drinking water originates in National Forests. Estimates conclude that the value of this water for consumption alone is more than $3 billion a year.

National Forests Are America's Playground

Americans love to hike, camp, fish, hunt and canoe in our National Forests. And it's no wonder: with 4,400 campgrounds, 121,000 miles of trails and 96 Wild and Scenic Rivers, our National Forests are truly America's favorite playground. The Forest Service predicts that in the year 2000, recreation, hunting and fishing in National Forests will contribute 38 times more income to the nation's economy than logging, and will create 31 times more jobs.

National Forests Provide Economic Benefits

Hunting and fishing generates 2.9 million jobs a year. There are consistently more jobs, more income, and more public revenues associated with forest protection. On the state level, forest protection is directly related to economic gain. New businesses are drawn to forested regions seeking a higher quality of life that a scenic and healthy environment provides. The federal timber sales program does more than waste money on road building and timber industry subsidies, it also hurts local economies. Independent economic reports have found that not only do communities not benefit from commercial logging, they actually thrive when National Forests are left unlogged. Recreation, hunting, fishing, and other opportunities found in unlogged forests provided more than three times the amount of money to the national Gross Domestic Product in the year 2000 than logging did in that same year. While output from the National Forest timber-sale program has dropped dramatically since the early 1990s, many regions have benefited from more diversified economies.

Forests Preserve our Natural Heritage

National Forests are our link with America's wild heritage. Although only 4 percent of America's old growth forests are still standing, 75 percent of them are within National Forest borders. And a forest is more than just its trees. More than 3,000 species of fish and wildlife and 10,000 plant species -- including 230 endangered plant and animal species -- rely on National Forests for habitat. These include salmon in Oregon's Mt. Hood National Forest, songbirds in Georgia's Chattahoochee National Forest, and elk in Idaho's Panhandle National Forest.

Taxpayer Dollars Pay For Destructive Logging

Many people assume our National Forests are off-limits to logging. They aren't. In fact, not only is commercial logging allowed, it's encouraged -- with taxpayers paving the way. The Forest Service logging program is subsidized by taxpayers and operates at a huge loss. In addition to the loss incurred by timber sales in the National Forests, taxpayers also face the cost of environmental clean up of the areas damaged by logging.

Americans Support Forest Protection

Ending commercial logging in our National Forests is an idea that's gaining momentum. In September of 2000, a nation-wide poll found 60 percent of Americans oppose commercial timber sales and other commodity production in National Forests. In additional, 69% percent of Americans polled have said that they oppose timber companies logging anywhere in our National Forests.

Government decision-makers have been contacted by millions of Americans urging the protection of our remaining wild places. Nearly 1 million postcards, e-mail, and letters have encouraged many officials to increase the protection given to National Forests. With such overwhelming public support it is clear that it is time for full preservation of our National Forests.

Restoration Works

The Forest Service estimates that they now have an $8.4 million backlog on the maintenance of roads. As a result of this neglect, roads often deteriorate and cause landslides that destroy streams, fish and wildlife habitat, and cause concerns for public safety. A forest with decommissioned roads and healthy streambanks provides benefits such as high quality water, improved habitat for fish and wildlife, and improved quality of life. In addition, numerous studies have found that restoration programs can help meet the needs or rural communities. For example, one report found that every $1 million spent on removing roads and restoring the land underneath them creates 33 jobs. By immediately investing in an agency-managed restoration program, Congress can demonstrate its commitment to enhance the value of these national gems.

End Commercial Logging -- For Our Families, For Our Future

We have a choice. Our legacy can be polluted streams and forests of stumps, or National Forests that work as nature intended -- filtering pollution out of our water, protecting us from flooding, providing wildlife habitat and a place for us to play and find a little peace. It will take generations for our National Forests to recover -- and that's if we start restoring them immediately. We cannot be timid or take half steps. We must stop logging our National Forests now