State seeks public comment on 183-acre timber sale on Heceta Island

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comments through June 15 on a proposed timber sale that would harvest approximately 6,500 thousand board feet of timber from 183 acres on Heceta Island near Craig.

The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection released a preliminary Best Interest Finding for the Heceta Island Timber Sale, which covers two harvest units centered on the Camp Cove area. The division is also proposing to adopt a site-specific Forest Land Use Plan under Alaska Statute 38.05.112 and AS 41.17.060 as part of this notice. Only people who submit written comments by the June 15 deadline will be eligible to appeal the final decision or adopted plan, which the state expects to issue after mid-June.

The sale area sits within sections of Township 70 South, Ranges 77 and 78 East, referenced to the Copper River Meridian. The timber would be accessed via United States Forest Service Road 1445, which connects to the log transfer facility at Port Alice and the Camp Cove public dock, both maintained by the Forest Service.

The state will sell the timber volume under Alaska Statute 38.05.120, either as a single sale or divided into multiple sales. Before any harvest can occur, the Commissioner must issue a final Best Interest Finding and the division must adopt a site-specific Forest Land Use Plan.

Written comments can be mailed to the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, 2417 Tongass Avenue, Suite 213, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901, or emailed to [email protected]. Copies of the preliminary decision are available at the division office and at public libraries in Ketchikan, Craig, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Edna Bay, as well as online at notice.alaska.gov/223819.

For more information, contact Greg Staunton at 907-225-3070.