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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