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Table of Land Ownership in Alaska
FEDERAL PUBLIC LAND PLANNING:
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS)
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STATE PUBLIC LAND PLANNING:
Alaska Dept. of
Natural Resources (DNR)
Division of
Forestry (DOF)
Division of
Mining, Land & Water (DMLW)
Division of
Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DPOR)
Alaska Dept of Fish
and Game (ADFG)
Habitat
Division
Office of the
Governor
Coastal
Management Program (CMP)
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Alaska
Public Lands Information Center
State, City and Borough Websites in Alaska
Planning Alaska's
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ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES |
HISTORY
The Division of Forestry was created in 1981 by the state legislature. The division is headed by the state forester and is guided by the Board of Forestry. The board consists of nine members, appointed by the governor, representing a wide range of public interests. The division manages two state forests, the Tanana Valley State Forest and the Haines State Forest Resource Management Area.
Alaska Statutes 41.17.200-.230 establish the "state forest system" and the requirement for forest management plans. These sections require that "the commissioner (of the DNR) shall prepare a management plan consistent with AS 38.04.005 ... for each unit of a state forest." Further, AS 38.05.112 now requires forest land use plans for individual timber sales, and AS 38.05.113 requires Five Year Schedules of Timber Sales.
The Division of Forestry plans for forest management at three levels. At the regional level, it develops forestwide management plans for the legislatively designated State Forests, and participates in development of DNR area plans for other state lands. At the area level, the Division publishes a summary of proposed sales in a Five-Year Schedule of Timber Sales (FYSTS) for each of its eight area office. Third, detailed information on each individual sale proposal is developed in a Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP).
State Forest management plans, like area plans, apply only to state-owned lands and identify specific land uses, including uses other than forestry, such as mineral leasing, recreation, and wildlife. The forests are managed under the concepts of multiple use and sustained yield. Forest plans provide a guide to land management activities over a 20-year and longer period.
The Five-Year Schedules of Timber Sales give the public, timber industry, and other agencies an overview of the divisions plans for timber sales. They summarize information on proposed timber harvest areas, timber sale access, and reforestation actions.
FLUPs present detailed information on the location, access, harvest methods, duration, and proposed reforestation for each timber sale.
PROCESS AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
State Forest Management plans are prepared using a seven step process.
Step 2. Gather and analyze natural resource data
Step 3. Working groups and Planning team identify and analyze management alternatives
Step 4. Prepare draft management plan
Step S. Review draft plan with agencies and public
Step 6. Prepare final plan
Step 7. Adopt plan
Actual preparation of a plan follows completion of an operational level forest inventory as required by statute.
Public participation occurs through the Board of Forestry, Tanana Valley State Forest Citizens' Advisory Committee, and public meetings, workshops, working groups, and open houses during the planning process. Participation occurs primarily during steps 1, 3, and 5. In addition, all planning team meetings are open to the public.
The forest management plan for the Tanana Valley State Forest, for example, contains the following chapters: Introduction (purpose, process, definitions); Forestwide Land Management Policies; Land Management Policies for Management Units; Implementation.
Department of Natural Resources: http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/
Division of Forestry http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/forestry
Tanana Valley State Forest Management Plan Revision. http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/forestry/tvsfmp.htm
Fire Management Plans
http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/forestry/fireplans.htm
and
Alaska Interagency Fire Planning Documents are available at
http://fire.ak.blm.gov/unique/docs/planning/planning.asp
For general questions about state forest planning contact:
Marty Freeman, Forest Resources Program Manager
Division of Forestry
Alaska Department of Natural Resources,
550 W. 7th Avenue, Suite 1450
Anchorage, AK 99501 (907) 269-8473
marty_welbourn@dnr.state.ak.usFire Program Manager
Joe Stam
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
550 W. Seventh Ave., Suite 1450
Anchorage, Alaska 99501-3566 (907) 269-8467
joe_stam@dnr.state.ak.usFor the latest contact information, you can also refer to the Division Directory at http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/forestry/divdir.htm#DIR_OFF
Forest Plans
Haines State Forest Resource Management Plan
The plan for this forest, comprised of 247,000 acres of state-owned land, was revised in 1986. A second update will be completed in 2001. The 1986 /revusuib ased in part on the Haines/Skagway Area Land Use Plan prepared in 1979. Focus is on multiple use of state forest lands while protecting the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve (see State Parks and Outdoor Recreation). CONTACT Roy Josephson, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Northern Southeast Area Office, P.O. Box 263, Haines, AK 99827. 907-766-2120.
Tanana Valley State Forest Management Plan
This forest (1.81 million acres) was established by the legislature in 1983. The plan was completed in June 1988. A second update will be completed in 2001. CONTACT Paul Maki, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Northern Region Office, 3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709. (907) 451-2661. The revision documents can be found at http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/forestry/tvsfmp.htm.
Other Plans with Extensive Forest Resources
Two other plans dealing with extensive forest resources include the Susitna Area Plan and the Yakataga Area Plan developed by the Resource Assessment and Development Section of the Division of Mining, Land and Water (go there). The Susitna Forestry Guidelines accompany the Susitna Area Plan and provide detailed guidance for forest management in that area. Both of these are discussed in more detail in the next section.
The Division of Forestry, through its participation in the Alaska Interagency Wildland Fire Coordinating Group (AIWFCG), is a cooperator in fire management plans which cover almost all of Alaska. See BLM, above, for more information on fire management planning.
Alaska Interagency Fire Planning Documents are available at http://fire.ak.blm.gov/unique/docs/planning/planning.asp
