Mental Health Trust gives final approval to Hollis timber sale behind Wolf Creek Boatworks

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office gave final approval Wednesday to a competitive timber sale on 1,438 acres north of Hollis, on the hillside behind the National Register-listed Wolf Creek Boatworks. The sale covers an estimated 20 million board feet of timber, including about 800 acres of old growth judged economic to harvest.

The final best interest decision, signed by Executive Director Jusdi Warner, made no changes to the preliminary decision released June 11.

The Trust received 106 comments. Four supported the sale. The longest came from the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and the Organized Village of Kasaan.

The sale replaces a 2022 plan for a negotiated sale at a fixed price, with an anticipated return of up to $2.7 million. The Trust cited rising prices, especially for western red cedar, and competitive interest. It now expects to exceed that figure.

The Boatworks sits where Wolf Creek meets Twelve-Mile Arm. Its buildings went up in the 1930s under a U.S. Forest Service permit that expired in December 2015. The Trust acquired the land from the Forest Service on Aug. 30, 2021. The decision says neither agency has authorized the buildings since, and the state Department of Natural Resources has never authorized the Boatworks' use of state tidelands.

The Trust says it has made multiple offers since August 2021, including a land-use authorization for up to 5 acres, without reaching agreement. The site was listed on the National Register on June 3, 2025. The Trust says it did not oppose the listing.

Commenters argued the historic district draws its significance from the surrounding forested watershed, not just its buildings, and that clear-cutting nearby slopes would irreversibly weaken it. Tribal commenters said they were not consulted government to government. The Trust says no harvest will occur inside the district, that the Alaska Historic Preservation Act will apply and that state law does not require that kind of consultation.

Next, the Trust will invite proposals from contractors and pick one. A forester will lay out harvest units, which go to state review before a final harvest plan.

People who commented during the notice period may request reconsideration within 20 calendar days, with a $500 fee. Only they can later appeal to Superior Court.