Inside Alaskans who recreate, hunt, forage or harvest within the Tanana Valley State Forest have till Dec. 20 to touch upon a proposed administration plan revision.
The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fireplace Safety (DOF) launched the revision plan in 2020 and it “has been a collaborative effort involving quite a few stakeholders,” in keeping with the division. The final administration plan for the 1.8 million-acre forest was accomplished in 2001.
The Tanana Valley State Forest stretches from Tok to Manley Scorching Springs, alongside main roads and waterways. The plan guides the forest’s long-term administration, together with completely different leisure, tourism, mining, timber, searching, fishing and common makes use of. It features a complete parts on issues equivalent to wildfire mitigation and response.
“The plan we’ve been engaged on is a really broad scale, long-term conceptual device,” Trevor DoBell, DOF’s Cooperative Forestry Program supervisor, stated throughout an October workshop in Fairbanks. “It’s written to maintain makes use of as open and versatile as potential.”
DoBell defined that state forests have been created for timber administration whereas permitting for different makes use of. DoBell stated the present five-year schedule permits for harvesting 14,000 acres a 12 months, “however we’re slicing fairly drastically beneath that.” About 420 acres have been minimize in 2023.
He known as it a “prospects bag” somewhat than an in depth resolution doc.
“Certainly one of our planners stated a ‘prospects bag’ is a whole set of every thing you may have to handle the forest,” DoBell stated.
Based on the Alaska Division of Pure Assets, the Tanana Valley State Forest is included in a number of regional or complete plans, together with the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s leisure path plan, the state’s five-year timber gross sales schedule and group wildfire safety plans.
The up to date plan covers administration insurance policies for the forest’s 14 models, from Decrease Tanana and Chatanika River to Salcha, Healy River and Tok River. It additionally identifies numerous land ownerships inside the forest, from non-public landholdings to these owned by the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the Alaska Psychological Well being Belief.
As well as, the College of Alaska is evaluating hundreds of acres approved below the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act of its land grant standing. As a land grant system, UA was entitled to 500,000 acres of land, was lacking 336,000 acres from the grant for many years.
Challenges and forest well being
Forester Kevin Meany famous on the October workshop that the up to date administration plan contains revised provisions to handle local weather change challenges, mitigations and forest well being. That part comprises a prolonged abstract of the forest’s danger with spruce bark beetle infestation that, whereas uncommon, may change given latest gentle winters.
The up to date plan summarizes latest analysis knowledge equivalent to an extremely warming Arctic local weather and potential impacts on forest well being.
“A part of the plan is that it’s adaptable,” Meany stated.
A number of the 2024 revisions embody including the state’s lately adopted carbon offset insurance policies as a possible use, technical updates for forest stock knowledge and modifications to land standing.
The Alaska Legislature handed two payments in 2023 and 2024 to create carbon administration and offset insurance policies pushed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy has stated the 2023 regulation, nicknamed the “tree invoice,” opens alternatives for managing state-owned forestry lands that he stated can bolster the state’s income streams.
Trevor Fulton, DNR’s carbon offset supervisor, stated the carbon insurance policies peripherally profit local weather targets.
“It’s one device to assist with the causes of local weather change and cut back atmospheric ranges of carbon dioxide,” Fulton stated. Fulton stated the scope and influence of carbon offsets will depend on particular tasks.
Some Alaska path advocacy teams, together with Alaska Trails, see the administration plan as a possibility to enhance path connections between Nenana and Fairbanks, which may in the end profit the proposed Alaska Lengthy Path challenge.
In a letter commenting on the forest plan, Alaska Lengthy Path Venture Coordinator Mariyam Medovaya proposed the development of 18 miles of multi-use trails within the state forest’s Nenana unit, in the end benefiting 35 miles of current forestry roads and trails between Rosie Creek and Nenana.
“The proposed recreation connections are fascinating as a result of they supply glorious recreation alternatives for day-trip recreationists beginning both in Fairbanks or Nenana, full the northern hyperlink of the Alaska Lengthy Path from Fairbanks to Nenana to be used by Alaska residents and supply for upkeep on timber roads to assist future timber harvest,” Medovaya wrote.
Alaska Trails estimated that the challenge would price $2.6 million. Medovaya wrote that DOF may leverage partnerships such because the Alaska Trails and Parks Basis, Alaska Trails and Joyful Trails, Inc.
The draft administration plan is on the market on-line at forestry.alaska.gov/TVSFrevision. The deadline to submit written feedback is 5 p.m. Friday. Feedback will be submitted by e mail at dnr.for.tvsfrevision@alaska.gov or by letter at Alaska Division of Forestry & Fireplace Safety, ATTN: TVSF Revision, 550 W. seventh Ave. Suite 1450, Anchorage, AK 9950.
