FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 31, 1997
Contact:
Jack E. Phelps, Executive Director
(907) 225-6114 or (907) 723-5040
AFA TO
FOREST SERVICE:
KEEP OPTIONS OPEN ON THE CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST
Alaska Forest Association executive director, Jack Phelps, today urged the U.S. Forest
Service to keep open its management options on the Chugach National Forest, the
nation’s second largest national forest. The Forest Service is beginning a revision
of the Chugach Land Management Plan which has been in effect since 1984 and is now up for
its first scheduled rewrite. AFA filed comments today on the initial public review of the
revision, known as the scoping period.
"The Chugach Forest Plan revision is of significant concern to the AFA and its member
companies, because the Chugach represents the largest federal ownership of forest lands in
southcentral Alaska," Phelps said. "As with the Tongass Land Management Plan,
which is currently under appeal by our organization, this plan revision will determine the
uses of Forest Service lands in the region for the next decade. We believe that
responsible, sustainable timber harvests have a legitimate role in that management scheme.
Our comments were aimed at ensuring that the Forest Service manages the Chugach for true
multiple uses, including logging."
Among AFA ’s concerns is the fact that certain proposed elements in the plan may
block access to important timber holdings and other resource extraction opportunities both
on federal and private land in the greater Gulf of Alaska region. "The initial
scoping documents issued by the Forest Service indicate a definite predisposition toward
locking up the land and keeping Alaskans from fully realizing the development potential of
this huge region which contains diverse natural resources," Phelps said. "We
think the Forest Service should keep its management options open at this point, and listen
to the general public - not just the special interests who want to keep people out of the
forest."
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