The public is invited to participate in a Board of Forestry meeting on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 to discuss statewide forestry issues. The meeting will run from 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and a draft agenda is posted at http://forestry.alaska.gov/whatsnew.htm.

Topics for the Board meeting will include: 

• FY2017-18 forestry, forest practices, and monitoring budgets;

• State regulatory proposals related to forest operations in Alaska, including regulations for small negotiated sales under 11 AAC 71.045(e), state fees, public notices, anti-degradation of water quality, and identification of Tier 3 waters;

• Implementation guidance for reforestation standards in Interior and Southcentral Alaska;

• Coastal forest management issues including reports on Tongass Forest Plan implementation, Roadless Rule and Big Thorne litigation, the Mental Health Trust land exchange, work force development projects, the state-federal Good Neighbor agreement, and second-growth management on federal land;

• Forest planning and appeals on state land;

• Wood energy projects in Alaska;

• Forest sustainability verification;

• Electronic water sampling for fish habitat;

• Fish habitat permitting legislation (HB 199); and

• State-federal cooperative forestry programs.

• Other forestry matters may be included on the agenda. The meeting is intended to comply with the requirements of AS 41.17.047(b) and (d).  Public comment is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. 

  The Board of Forestry meeting will be held by teleconference and webinar.  Teleconference call-in locations will be available in three communities as listed below:

  • Juneau:  DNR 4^th floor conference room A, 400 Willoughby Ave

  • Anchorage:  Division of Forestry conference room, 550 W. 7^th Avenue, Suite 1450 

  • Fairbanks:  Department of Natural Resources large conference room, 3700 Airport Way

  • Ketchikan:  Legislative Information Office, 1900 First Ave, Suite 310

  Anyone outside of Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, or Ketchikan who would like to participate in the teleconference should contact Marty Freeman at the Division of Forestry in Anchorage at marty.freeman@alaska.gov or call at 907-269-8467 no later than 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26.  If no one has contacted Marty and no one is present at a teleconference site by 9 a.m., the teleconference may be terminated at that site.

   

A copy of the draft agenda is attached below.  For additional information about the meeting, or for special accommodations due to audio or visual impairment, contact Marty using the contact information below by Wednesday, July 26. Any individuals wishing to receive announcements of future Board of Forestry meetings by e-mail or in hard copy should contact Marty to be added to the mailing list.  

CONTACT:  Marty Freeman, 907-269-8467, marty.freeman@alaska.gov