United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-01-31 monographic deposited born digital 38 p. GA 1.13:RCED-95-2 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-2 P0b002ee180371877 f:rc95002 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-2 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-2 RCED-95-2 Forest management Timber sales National forests Forest conservation Contract modifications Environmental impact statements Environment evaluation Compliance Environmental law Unfair competition Alaska Tongass National Forest (AK) Chapter Report RCED Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Forest Service's implementation of certain unilateral modifications to long-term contracts in Alaska and other requirements of the Tongass Timber Reform Act, focusing on whether: (1) road credits are used consistently between long-term contracts and short-term contracts; (2) buffers of standing timber have been left along designated streams as required; and (3) the Forest Service is requiring full documentation of environmental effects whenever changes are made to timber harvest area boundaries.<p/>GAO found that: (1) the Forest Service believes it treats road credits consistently across all contracts, since unused road credits are cancelled at the end of all timber sales contracts; (2) the long-term contractors' ability to carry unused road credits forward for longer periods than short-term contractors gives them an unfair competitive advantage; (3) some streamside buffers did not meet the 100-foot minimum width during the first years immediately following the act's passage, but the Forest Service has since taken steps to enforce this requirement; (4) in 1994, the Forest Service issued guidance and initiated a new monitoring program to ensure the buffers' effectiveness; (5) the Forest Service often does not document the environmental effects of timber harvest boundary changes; (6) in some instances, the forest supervisor has inappropriately delegated his documenting authority to district rangers and waived documentation where he believed boundary changes were insignificant; and (7) the forest supervisor has since withdrawn the authority delegation and established a detailed process for assessing boundary changes. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-2/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-2.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-2/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-2.pdf GAO/RCED-95-2 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-95-2 Chapter Report GAO/RCED-95-2; Tongass Timber Reform Act: Implementation of the Act's Contract Modification Requirements; Forest management Timber sales National forests Forest conservation Contract modifications Environmental impact statements Environment evaluation Compliance Environmental law Unfair competition Alaska Tongass National Forest (AK) Public Law 101-626