Phase one of the new U.S.-China trade deal could rekindle the sale of roughly 6,000 acres of timber in the Chilkat Valley.
Last year, sale negotiations came to a halt between the University of Alaska and a buyer, who will remain anonymous until the sale is finalized, after the U.S. imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods and China retaliated with tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. goods, including timber.
Chinese tariffs were the latest in a series of delays for the sale. The negotiation process began in March 2018. Originally, the university had said it would complete the sale that summer.
News of the sale generated controversy among residents. While some viewed the sale as an economic opportunity, others criticized the lack of information available for what would be the largest timber sale in Haines in decades. The university hired Morgan Howard, owner of Seattle-based communications company Morgan Howard Productions, to manage public relations with the Haines community. After a month, Howard delegated the solicitation of feedback to the Haines Economic Development Corporation.
Last August, with a contract still unsigned, the University of Alaska’s land office announced that its buyer was “now choosing to wait until the tariffs improve on U.S. exports to China.”
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, leaders from the U.S. and China signed the first phase of a trade deal including the promise that China will import an additional $200 billion in U.S. goods. These goods include wood used for fuel, charcoal, stakes, and “wood in the rough” that can be further refined.
Laura Carmack, regional resource manager for land management at the University of Alaska would not comment on whether sale negotiations have begun anew as a result of the trade deal.
“We’re looking into it,” she said. “We haven’t made any determinations yet.” She anticipates they will reach a decision in time for a timber report her office is scheduled to present to the university’s board of regents on Feb. 13. Public documents for the meeting go live on Feb. 6.
“The Haines community will be the first to know before any public meeting,” Carmack said. Notification will be provided via newsletter sent to community members who have signed up at http://ualandhaines.com/email-signup/.