KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service has extended the public comment period for a proposed tree harvesting initiative.
People will have until July 13 to comment on the Forest Service’s plan to harvest young-growth timber on a parcel of land on the north end of Gravina Island, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) west of Ketchikan, the Ketchikan Daily News reported (https://bit.ly/2tfiUr5).
A majority of the proposed area is owned by the Forest Service, but about one-third of it is owned by the State of Alaska.
The project is part of the federal agency’s initiative to move away from old-growth logging and transition toward second-growth harvesting under an amendment to the Tongass National Forest Land and Resources Management Plan.
The project would encourage the harvesting of young-growth timber between 60 and 70 years old over older trees that are hundreds of years old. The action would benefit small businesses by opening up markets and allowing industry operators to “refine skills and equipment need to economically harvest and process young-growth timber,” the Forest Service said in its scoping proposal letter.
The Forest Service has held three open houses regarding the young-timber management in the district.
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Information from: Ketchikan (Alaska) Daily News, https://www.ketchikandailynews.com
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