February 1998
NEW FISH PROTECTIONS
In a move that surprised many, the Alaska Forest Association went before the state Board of Forestry on January 13 to propose changes to the state’s Forest Resources and Practices Act. The proposal originated in discussions held over the past two years by the Science & Technical Committee, created by the Board of Forestry and Governor Knowles early in 1996. The committee was formed to examine allegations by the Department of Fish & Game’s Habitat Division that the Forest Practices Act was not working to protect salmon streams in the coastal region.
The committee, which included scientists hired by AFA member companies, concluded that the Act was actually working as intended, but recommended some improvements. Mainly, they recommended minor technical refinements, including the way stream width is measured. The most significant amendment, and the most controversial within the industry, is the addition of stream buffers on smaller anadromous streams. What the committee discovered was that there were some type B streams which contain anadromous fish and, because of the steam classification system, were not receiving riparian buffers.
The committee issued its final report in January of 1997. Last summer, an implementation committee, including representatives from the timber industry, the fishing industry, environmental groups and the affected agencies met to develop regulatory and statutory language to put the recommendations into law. The group reached consensus on almost all issues, and AFA , with the cooperation of commercial fishing interests, then developed a proposal to implement the few points on which there was not complete agreement. The AFA proposal went beyond the actual recommendations of the Science & Technical Committee to ensure that the concerns were well addressed. With some modification, the proposal was adopted by the Board of Forestry on January 14, 1998.
The AFA proposal recommended changing the stream classifications to A, B, C, and D, with the new B type being those smaller channels which contain salmon. These B channels are subdivided between those which are incised and those which are not, with different width definitions applying to each. Under the proposal, type B steams would get buffers of 66 feet or to the break of the slope, whichever comes first. They would also have slope stability standards applied to them.
Type A streams, main channels containing salmon, would also be subject to slope stability standards out to 100 feet, 34 feet beyond the now-required buffers. This additional 34 feet of protection will not require retention of standing timber, except that low value and non-merchantable trees will be left, at the operator’s discretion.
Another element of the proposal adopted by the Board of Forestry was an agreement that any future changes requiring additional mandatory timber retention would be sought only through legislative action, and not through regulations. The AFA proposal would have put this in statute, but the Board decided to include it in a supplement to the Green Book, which will be published as the definitive account of the two-year long Science & Technical Committee process. The Green Book is a document setting forth the elements of agreement which, in 1990, led to the current Forest Resources and Practices Act. It is considered a binding agreement between timber and fishing interests, and requires that any changes to the Act be brought before the Board of Forestry before they will be pursued by either group as legislative or regulatory changes.
The support of the Governor’s office has been of considerable significance throughout the Science & Technical Committee process, and contributed in no small measure to the success of this effort. Particularly noteworthy has been the effort put into it by the office of the Commissioner of Natural Resources. The cooperative effort between the agencies and affected industries has led to refinements in the way forest practices are performed in Alaska, and will help ensure that Alaska continues to lead the nation in both fisheries and forest management.
The statutory portion of the current AFA proposal has now been introduced in identical legislation by Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Gail Phillips. These legislators understand the importance of the agreement which makes the changes acceptable to both the timber industry and the fishing community, and AFA expects the proposal to be adopted without amendment before the end of the current session. We hope this will put to rest for the immediate future any suggestion that salmon fisheries are endangered by logging on private lands in the coastal forests of Alaska.
AFA is particularly proud that the forest products industry has played a significant role in ensuring that the balance between forest management, private property rights and public resources is maintained in this state. This makes a strong statement regarding the timber industry’s commitment to operating in accordance with sound science and the public interest.
