A mill on Prince of Wales Island was cleared to begin felling trees last week under a court ruling in the fight over a timber sale in Tongass National Forest.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last week denied a motion by conservation groups for an emergency injunction, which would have halted the Big Thorne timber sale in Southeast Alaska while the court considered the groups' appeal of its recent decision to uphold the sale.
Environmental plaintiffs include Greenpeace, Cascadia Wildlands and Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.
Managers at Viking Mill, on Prince of Wales Island, were not available for comment Monday evening.
The appeal will move forward in the Ninth Circuit. A decision on the merits of the case can be expected this fall or winter, according to a press release from the state Attorney General's Office.