State seeks public comment on 66-acre timber sale near Tok

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comments through May 21 on a proposed timber harvest 14 miles southwest of Tok in the Tanana Valley State Forest.

The Young Negotiated Timber Sale would harvest approximately 1,482 CCF of spruce sawtimber and 350 CCF of spruce fuelwood and pole timber from two units totaling 66 acres. The sale area sits along the Tok Cutoff Highway near Mile Marker 110.

The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection must adopt a Forest Land Use Plan before the timber sale can proceed. The plan addresses how the harvest would affect other uses of the forest land, as required by state law.

The state already decided to move forward with the timber sale in a June 2023 finding. That decision is not up for review. The current comment period covers only the land use plan, which details how the 66-acre harvest would be managed.

The sale area is in Township 16 North, Range 12 East, Sections 7, 8, 17, 18, and 20 of the Copper River Meridian.

Comments must be submitted by mail or email to Tom Cheney at the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, 3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709, or [email protected]. The full plan is available at the Northern Region Office in Fairbanks and online at forestry.alaska.gov/timber/tok.