May 20, 1975
Page 15357
APPROPRIATION FOR SPRUCE BUDWORM SPRAYING PROGRAM
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I wish to commend the Committee on Appropriations for supporting the Forest Service request for $5 minion for insect and disease control programs in the second supplemental appropriation before us today. The funds for control of insect infestations includes $3,975,000 to control spruce budworm in northern Maine, $885,000 to control the Southern pine beetle throughout the Southern States, and $400,000 for control of the mountain pine beetle in areas of Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota.
The severity of the spruce budworm outbreak in my home State of Maine makes this appropriation imperative. Due to unusual climate conditions the infestation of the spruce budworm has reached alarming proportions in Maine. The U.S. Forest Service reports that of the 7.9 million acres of spruce-fir forest in Maine, 5.3 million acres are now experiencing moderate to heavy infestation. In order to prevent widespread mortality and top kill, forestry officials estimate that a minimum of 2 million acres will have to be sprayed by June 1 of this year – 13 days from now.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of the forest to Maine, the most heavily forested State in the Union. The lumber, paper, and recreation industries represented are the backbone of Maine's economy. The forest products industry provides one-third of the jobs in the State, and contributes 40 percent of Maine's annual manufacturing output.
A recent Time magazine article estimates that if the trees on the 3.5 million acres most seriously infested are killed, the United States will lose enough wood to have built 13 million houses or enough paper to have kept 92 million Americans in newspapers, tissues, and wrapping for a year.
That is not the only potential loss. Maine would be deprived for the 40 years needed for forest regeneration of at least $13.6 million a year in taxes from the forest-products industry. Workers and businessmen serving the timber industry could lose another $106 million per year. Beyond that, Maine's $450 million-a-year tourist industry will suffer; no campers or hunters will want to go into a gloomy wasteland of dead trees.
Mr. President, if the spruce budworm infestation is left unchecked, its effects on an already sagging economy could be catastrophic. The impact resulting from heavy defoliation would be tragic in other ways. Severe mortality would increase forest fire hazards. Further destruction of the spruce-fir forests would jeopardize fish and wildlife populations and increase erosion problems.
Clearly, prompt and effective control of this insect pest is a matter of high priority. Complicating the control effort is the pressure of time. The life cycle of budworm is such that spraying must occur by June 1 in order to achieve maximum control.
In the fight against this insect pest, there has been constant and commendable cooperation among the Maine Bureau of Conservation, the U.S. Forest Service, paper and forest products companies and other landowners, the Maine legislature, and the entire Maine delegation to Congress. As a result, the complicated process of preparing for the spraying has been completed. The 50-percent Federal share of the costs which this appropriation represents is a major remaining hurdle. Aircraft chartered to do the spraying are to begin arriving in Maine today, in anticipation of the Federal funds.
Mr. President, the House has already supported the full appropriation for spruce budworm control, and it also has the support of the administration.
Due to the special nature of the problem and the serious time constraints involved, I urge my colleagues to support swift passage of this legislation and a prompt resolution in conference of the differences in the House and Senate supplemental appropriations measures. It is my hope, and the fervent hope of all those involved in the battle against budworm, that a supplemental appropriation will be enacted into law before the start of the Memorial Day recess.