Borough work session will focus on timber sale guidelines

March 20, 2005

DAWN De BUSK/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - The Mat-Su Borough Assembly and several other entities that own land subject to timber sales will be immersed in forestry-related information during the Assembly's work session Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Assembly chambers.

The other groups attending include the state Mental Health Land Trust, University of Alaska, Cook Inlet Region Inc. and the state Division of Forestry.

The Assembly will be briefed on healthy timber, the forest practices acts and forest land-use plans, according to Ron Swanson, the borough's director of community development.

Some people from communities near harvest sites have already been selected to speak, Swanson said.

Then the processes of providing public notice and engaging in public involvement will be addressed. Each group - the university, state, CIRI, the borough and MHLT - will provide information on exactly what process it is required to adhere to.

"We'll go over the changes people might want. We might decide to change our codes. (This work session) will give us some direction," Swanson said.

Currently, when dealing with timber sales, the Assembly follows the requirements of Title 23 Land Management.

The borough Assembly may decide to change the codes or create and adopt a more specific set of guidelines for timber sales on borough lands. If the Assembly did decide to amend the current codes or adopt a more appropriate ordinance for timber harvest sales, it would take a few months. But it would give the borough a specific map to follow when dealing with timber harvest sales.

"So, if someone came in (to the borough offices) and wanted to buy 100 acres of trees, there would be a process," Swanson said.

Of course, the borough or the purchaser of harvest sales will follow the rules of the Alaska Forest Practices Act, which is strictly enforced by three separate state agencies, according to Swanson. Those agencies are the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Fish and Game and Department of Environmental Conservation.

The borough twice - during its Feb. 1 and March 1 regularly scheduled meetings - postponed the timber sale on 900 acres near Montana Creek. The company desiring to purchase the harvest rights was NPI, formerly Northern Pacific Inc.

NPI is currently involved in a wood-chip export business at Port MacKenzie. The delay of the possible sale didn't harm NPI, which already has a stockpile of wood chips on a loading pad on a cliff above the dock.

During the Feb. 1 meeting, residents near Montana Creek Road, near a place where harvesting has been occurring, testified to logging trucks jeopardizing school buses on the narrow road, increased traffic causing extra wear and tear to the road and the all-night noise of wood chippers.

Tom Kluberton, Y Community Council acting secretary, wrote a letter to the borough saying that the council had passed a resolution asking the borough to create a conditional-use permit process, to avoid in the future some of the problems timber harvesting has caused in his community.

The borough does have the power to write limits - like not running wood chippers during a certain number of hours at night - in its timber sale contract, Swanson said.

The work session is open to the public.

"Folks can listen, but they can't testify. That'll come later," Swanson said.

During the regular scheduled meeting on April 19, Assembly members will revisit an ordinance that would sell to NPI the timber rights on 900 acres located near Montana Creek.