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CED-81-46 1 (1981-04-17)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabbwh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 


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REPORT BY THE


Comptroller General


OF THE UNITED STATES





Better Data Needed To Determine

The Extent To Which Herbicides

Should Be Used On Forest Lands



The use of herbicides, especially aerial spray-
ing, for managing unwanted vegetation on for-
est lands has become a public controversy. In
some cases their use has been restricted. Grow-
ing opposition, stemming from unanswered
questions about herbicides' health and envi-
ronmental effects, could result in further re-
strictions.

Although it has been shown that nonherbi-
cide methods can be used to control unwanted
vegetation in national forests, the extent to
which these methods can replace herbicides is
not known. Serious information gaps exist re-
lating to the costs of vegetation management
methods and their relative effectiveness. Most
forests GAO visited had some success with al-
ternatives to herbicides; site-specific data was
not available to identify why methods had
succeeded in one area but not in another.

GAO is recommending a number of actions
that should strengthen the vegetation manage-
ment decisionmaking process of the Depart-
ments of Agriculture and the Interior.



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                            o                                          CE D-8 1-46
                                                                   APRIL 17, 1981


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