[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 20275]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          BOOSTING TIMBERING IN THE ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to once again 
reinforce the importance of proper management of our Nation's national 
forests.
  Over the past two decades, timber harvests in the Allegheny National 
Forest have fallen dramatically, following a trend we have seen in 
national forests nationwide. This has a domino effect on communities 
and school districts in and around the forest, because, since 1908, 
counties in national forests are entitled to 25 percent of the receipts 
from timber sales under the 1908 Good Neighbor Compact.
  These are communities which were built on the lumber industry and 
natural resources. Many are among the most rural, poorest in 
Pennsylvania, and the funding from timber sales is critical for 
schools, roads, and other public services, something these towns and 
school districts depend on.
  Due to this diminished revenue and various challenges forest 
communities continue to face, we must pass real reform that leads to 
good management practices in our national forests. As such, I continue 
to support the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015, or H.R. 2647. I 
believe this legislation is a key to increasing timber harvests in our 
national forests, which will not only benefit our communities but will 
create a forest that is healthier and less prone to wildfires and 
invasive species.

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