Alaska News

State to host Jan. 22 public meeting on proposed salvage timber sales

(Fairbanks, AK) – The Division of Forestry has scheduled a Jan. 22 public meeting to discuss proposed 2013 salvage timber sales related to the 2011 Hastings Fire, which burned more than 1,000 acres of the Tanana State Forest. The meeting will include discussion of a proposed forestry road accessing the burned acreage.

The meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Fox Lions Community Center, located at 2285 Steese Highway.

The burned acreage is west of the trans-Alaska pipeline and it is not currently accessible to the public for timber harvesting. Forestry is working with DNR's Division of Mining, Land and Water and the Fairbanks North Star Borough to gain legal access to this acreage to provide the public with a new source of timber and dry fuel wood. The borough has drafted an easement to DNR to provide public access across borough land west of the pipeline. A proposed forestry road, tentatively named the Pete Simpson Memorial Road, will cross both state and borough lands to provide access to the burned acreage. The entrance to the proposed road will be from the Himalaya Road, approximately 1.5 miles past the Himalaya Road pipeline crossing.

The proposed forestry road is named for the late Pete Simpson, who worked for the Division of Forestry from 1978 to 1999. Simpson helped develop the Division's wildland fire management program and was active with many community forestry events.

Various commercial timber sales and personal firewood permits are available through the Division of Forestry in the Fairbanks area, however most of the available wood is green. Dry wood is preferable because it burns more efficiently and creates less air pollution. For now, the only other post-fire wood that is available to the public on state land is from the 2009 Hardluck Creek Fire, or from Delta and Tok.

For more information regarding this meeting, commercial timber sales, and/or personal use firewood permits in the Fairbanks area, please call907-451-2601.

DNR press release

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