An Oregon company may walk away the new owner of 855 acres of timber in the Haines State Forest. It’s the largest timber sale the state forest has seen in 20 years.
The State Division of Forestry selected Astoria Forest Products, under
Murphy Overseas USA Holdings, in a Dec. 15 auction as the only bidder for the Baby Brown timber sale.
The 20 million board feet of 200-year-old, old growth Sitka spruce and western hemlock is located at about 37 Mile Haines Highway between Porcupine and Jarvis Creeks, according to Division of Forestry documents.
While the minimum bid was $250,000, the timber company bid over $274,000. The company now has 30 days to submit a contract with its operational plan to be approved by the state before the sale is final.
A forest land use plan for 137 acres on the east side of Glacier Creek was submitted before the bid was selected to prepare for harvest. Public comment period on the plan, including the proposed method of harvest, is open until Jan. 5.
Eric Holle, President of Lynn Canal Conservation, said he thinks “the cart goes before the horse” in that process, since the division’s forest land use plan for the Baby Brown timber sale is only in its draft form as of November.
“The company is going to submit a logging plan before the forest land use plan is done,” Holle said. “The industry is dictating the terms of their contract.”
Holle said he thinks the sale is “tragic.” Lynn Canal Conservation was one of three conservation organizations that appealed the sale when it was first proposed in 2015. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner denied the appeal.
In response to a comment from Astoria’s manager Stan Runnels who told KHNS the sale could be “a really good deal for people in Haines,” Holle said, “It’s not really clear how it’s going to be good for anyone, other than for select individuals.”
Holle said he was not sure how it would benefit local loggers because the materials “seem to be destined for export.” The state also loses money on the sale at about a 5 to 1 ratio due to administrative costs, Holle said.
He added that there will be negative impacts to the environment, local fisheries, other wildlife and the earth’s climate. Holle said the sale will be detrimental in the long term.
State forester Greg Palmieri said he was glad a bidder was chosen. “I think it’s good for the project moving forward,” he said.
Palmieri had inquiries from five companies about the sale, he said, but most likely only one saw a market for the materials. Softwood timber is often logged for lumber and chips.
Also, 2.6 miles of road in the area will be reconstructed, and an additional 5 miles of road will be added for access to the timber.
When asked if recreational activities like hiking and hunting take place in the area of the sale, Palmieri said similar activities take place all over the state forest and were considered in development of the sale.