PETERSBURG -- The U.S. Forest Service is proposing the harvest of up to 53.4 million board feet of timber within the Petersburg Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest.

Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole has signed and released a draft environmental impact statement for the Tonka Timber Sale that the public will get to comment on.

There are four alternatives, with the preferred alternative calling for the harvest of about 39.6 million board feet of timber. It also would include new road construction within the forest system and temporary roads.

The agency says the timber sale project area is on Kupreanof Island.

Cole says there's a potential for between 116 and 247 annual jobs supported by the sale. He says Tonka stands to keep local mills and timber operators in business for years.