State of Alaska
Department of Natural Resources
Division of Forestry
Southeast Area Office
Adopted Forest Land Use Plan

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry (DOF), gives formal notice 11 AAC
02 (Appeals) that the Division has adopted a site specific Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP) under AS
38.05.112 and the administrative standards of AS 41.17.060 for the access road for the commercial
timber sale: Vallenar Bay Timber Sale (SSE-1345 K).

This Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP) covers the access for proposed forest operations on approximately
2,500 acres of land in the Vallenar Planning Unit of the Southeast State Forest and the associated
access easement on Ketchikan Gateway Borough Land.  It is intended to provide the best available
information regarding the proposed access road construction, and management of other non-timber
uses in compliance with AS 38.05.112 and AS 41.17.060, and must be adopted by the DOF before the
proposed activity can occur. The site specific information relating to the timber harvest units
will be notified in a separate FLUP. This FLUP does not determine whether or not to access and sell
timber within the timber sale area, nor the method of sale. Those decisions have been made
previously in the May 4, 2015 Best Interest Finding and are not appealable under this FLUP.

The project area is on the north end of Gravina Island. Vallenar Bay is approximately five miles west of the Ketchikan International Airport and is viewable on USGS quadrangle Ketchikan B-6. The road corridor crosses State and Ketchikan Gateway Borough land in Sections 5, 6 and 8 of T75S, R90E; Sections 35 and 36 of T74S, R89 E; Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23 and 24 of T75S, R89E all within  Copper River Meridian. The total amount of new construction is approximately 8.4 miles with 1.1 miles of re-construction. The potential timber volume to be accessed by this road totals approximately 12 million board feet. The project proposes to establish access to the Vallenar Bay
area from the existing road system on Gravina Island by constructing a forest road from the Lewis
Reef area to the existing logging road on the southeast side of Vallenar Bay. Depending on market
conditions, the DOF would sell the timber as one or several sales. The sales will be noticed as
required by sale type authority under the requirements of AS 38.05.945 prior to being sold.

A person affected by the final decision who provided timely written comment on the draft FLUP may
request reconsideration, in accordance with 11 AAC 02. Any reconsideration request must be received by May 31, 2016 and may be mailed or delivered to Marty Rutherford, Acting Commissioner, Department of Natural Resources, 550 W. 7th Avenue, Suite 1400, Anchorage, Alaska 99501; faxed to 1- 907-269-8918, or sent by electronic mail to: dnr.appeals@alaska.gov.  If reconsideration is not requested by that date or if the acting commissioner does not order reconsideration on his own motion, this decision goes into effect as a final order and decision on June 8, 2016. Failure of the acting commissioner to act on a request for reconsideration within 30 days after issuance of this decision is a denial of reconsideration and is a final administrative order and decision for purposes of an appeal to Superior Court. The decision may then be appealed to Superior Court within a further 30 days in accordance with the rules of the court, and to the extent permitted by applicable law. An eligible person must first request reconsideration of this decision in accordance with 11 AAC 02 before appealing this decision to Superior Court. A copy of 11 AAC 02 is in Appendix C of the FLUP.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alaska Division of Forestry                         Contact:  Greg Staunton
2417 Tongass Avenue, Suite 213                Phone:     225-3070
Ketchikan, AK 99901                                   Fax:          247-3070
                                                                    Email:       dnr.vallenar.bay@alaska.gov

Copies of the FLUP are available for review at the division’s Area Office and the division’s web
site at http://forestry.alaska.gov/timber/ketchikan as well as at the bottom of the State online public notice web page.

The State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry complies with Title II
of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  Individuals with disabilities who may need auxiliary
aids, services or special modifications to participate may contact the number above.