Haines State Forest draft opens timber harvest in habitat areas

The Alaska Division of Forestry released a draft management plan that would allow commercial timber harvest in Haines State Forest wildlife habitat and public recreation areas, where harvest has been largely off-limits since 2002.

The draft plan shifts policy to permit timber sales in areas where they have been restricted for more than two decades. Timber sales would be allowed in wildlife habitat and public recreation units with constraints including even-age harvest size limits ranging from 5 to 20 acres and requirements that harvests support habitat enhancement or recreation access. For scale, a 2016 timber sale proposal in the forest covered approximately 1,000 acres with an estimated 20 million board feet of western hemlock and Sitka spruce.

"One of the most significant changes between the plan that was published in 2002 and the current amended draft is a change in policy that allows timber sales to be a potential use in the public recreation or wildlife habitat lands," Geneva Preston, a forest planner with the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, said at a virtual public meeting Wednesday.

The Haines State Forest has been managed under a 2002 plan that created distinct land-use units for timber production, wildlife habitat, and public recreation. The current draft would maintain those classifications as primary designations but allow timber harvest across nearly all units.

In wildlife habitat areas, timber harvest would require coordination with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and must be designed to enhance habitat. "Timber harvests are very likely to be designed in coordination with the Department of Fish and Game and they would be designed with the purpose of enhancing habitat," the planner said.

In public recreation areas, harvests must support recreation facilities or access. Even-age harvest size limits vary by unit, with the smallest at 5 acres in unit 3H and the largest at 20 acres in several other units.

Any timber sale proposed under the revised plan would still require a separate best interest finding and public review process before harvest could occur.

The draft also adds carbon offset projects as an allowable use, though State Forester Jeremy Dowse said market opportunities remain limited. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of opportunities for IFM right now," Dowse said, referring to improved forest management projects that offset timber harvest to generate carbon credits.

Public comments are due by 5 p.m. June 5. The Division plans to issue a notice of intent to adopt in fall 2026, followed by a 30-day review period for an issue response summary addressing public comments.

The Division will hold a public meeting in Klukwan on Thursday in addition to Wednesday's virtual session.

The draft plan and comment instructions are available on the Division of Forestry project website. Hard copies are available at the Forestry office in Haines.