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Representative
US Senate or House of Representatives
Washington D.C. 20510

Date

Dear Representative_____________________ ,

I was shocked to learn how much of our taxpayer dollars go towards subsidizing the cutting of our National Forests! The United States Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan federal agency which serves as the research branch of Congress recently confirmed findings that, "$1.2 billion is a reasonable estimate of the net cash loss from the Forest Service's FY1997 timber program to taxpayers." This is an astounding figure we pay for or the privilege of letting private parties cut down OUR forests for THEIR profit. Add to that, the lost value of the trees themselves and this figure would likely be double. Do you find this as insane as I do?

Iowa republican Representative Jim Leach,Ý remarked in congressional testimony thatÝ "the U.S. government is the only property owner that I know of that pays private parties to deplete its own resources." And what do we get for our plundered assets? More clearcuts and roads to maintain, violated roadless areas, silted salmon streams, degraded wildlife habitat, landslides and fouled water supplies.

Recent studies show that recreation, hunting and fishing on National Forests will contribute 30 times more to the economy than the subsidized logging program which destroys those values. Since only about 4% of our nation's timber supply comes from National Forests, the federal timber sales program is completely unnecessary. In addition, Americans want change in the way their forests are managed. Poll after poll show that the great majority of Americans want commercial logging in our national forests to end.

Please co-sponsor any bill that moves us closer to completely protecting our Public Lands and which calls for a gradual phasing out of timber sales, redirects timber subsidies into worker retraining and ecological restoration; and saves taxpayers at least $300 million annually.Ý Please stand tall for the forests and OUR Public Lands that are the birthright of every American. Please help end the insanity that is destroying our forests and robbing U.S. taxpayers.

Sincerely,