Some rays of light for forest products industry

By Carl Portman

The federal government and special interests from outside Alaska are largely responsible for the long-term decline in Southeast Alaska’s forest products industry, charged Shelly Wright, the Executive Director of Southeast Conference.

Speaking at the Alaska Resources Conference on the status of the forest industry, Wright said “the political climate is grim and the forces of power are against us.” However, she said there are some rays of light shining through the gloom, including efforts by Governor Parnell and the congressional delegation to transfer some acreage from the Tongass National Forest to the state for management. Biomass is also becoming an acceptable alternative to heating fuel and forest products are being made from local timber without causing harm to the forest.

Moreover, harvest activity in the Tongass in 2013 was nearly double the level of 2012, growing from 21 million board feet (mmbf) to 36.3 mmbf in 2013. However, the latest harvest is still drastically under the harvest ceiling of 267 mmbf per year and an average cut of 450 mmbf prior to 1990.

Overall, only 180 mmbf was harvested in Alaska this year, including 21 million acres on state land. Timber harvests on private land reached 120 mmbf.

The U.S. Forest Service plans on awarding 102 mmbf of timber in the Tongass next year through the Big Thorne timber sale, which is currently being held up by an appeal by environmental groups, Wright noted.

She warned that timber harvests statewide could fall by 50 mmbf in 2014 on private lands if the Sealaska lands bill fails to clear Congress. Wright explained that the Sealaska Corporation is the largest harvester in Southeast Alaska and it could lose its logging contractors if the bill does not move.

Wright noted that wood remains an important renewable energy source for Alaskans with 100,000 cords harvested this year for residential space heating statewide. Increases in oil prices have raised interest in using sawdust and wood wastes as fuel for lumber drying, space heating, and small scale power production. Wood boilers have been installed across the state and 40 projects in other communities are under consideration.

Interest in manufacturing wood pellets continues to rise, Wright said, noting that the largest facility, Superior Pellets, is located in North Pole and is capable of producing 30,000 tons of pellets per year.

Wright reported that the Southeast Conference is working on an alternative management strategy for the Tongass in hopes the Forest Service will incorporate it into a new management plan for the forest.

“The strategy could conceivably change the entire dynamic of the Tongass,” Wright said. “By managing the timberland that has not been set aside by statute, it is possible to maintain and increase old-growth habitat while simultaneously increasing timber harvests and improving access for recreation, mining, energy, and other activities.”

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