Legislature(1995 - 1996)
02/27/1995 03:36 PM Senate RES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SRES - 2/27/95
HB 121 SALVAGE TIMBER SALES
CHAIRMAN LEMAN brought up HB 121 as the next order of business
before the Senate Resources Committee and called the first witness.
Number 176
REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS, prime sponsor of HB 121, read the sponsor
statement for HB 121 to the committee.
CHAIRMAN LEMAN noted he does not intend to move HB 121 from
committee at this time, and will take testimony for as long as
possible today. The chairman called the next witness.
Number 125
CARL PORTMAN, Resource Development Council (RDC), testifying from
Anchorage, stated RDC supports harvesting damaged trees. Mr.
Portman gives testimony favorable to HB 121. (Teleconference
transmission is difficult to understand).
Number 082
KATHY MILLER, testifying from Ketchikan, stated she is in favor of
multiple use management of state lands. Ms. Miller gives testimony
favorable to HB 121. She urges approval of HB 121.
Number 055
DON GENTRY, General Manager, Atikon Forest Products, testifying
from Ketchikan, stated he supports HB 121. Mr. Gentry gave a brief
overview on forestry practices and emergency salvage operations.
TAPE 95-17, SIDE A
Number 001
MR. GENTRY continued his overview of forestry practices and
emergency salvage operations. Mr. Gentry encourages support of HB
121.
Number 045
CHRIS GATES, Executive Director, Alaska Forest Association,
testifying from Ketchikan, stated the association supports HB 121.
Mr. Gates asserted that since today's hearing began, about 500
trees have been lost to spruce bark beetle infestation. In 1994
about thirty-eight trees were lost every minute, on average.
Alaska's infestation is the largest in the world. Mr. Gates thinks
HJR 27 would simply allow harvesting of infested trees in a timely
manner.
Number 111
WINSLOW HOFFMAN, testifying from Homer, thinks Section 1 of HB 121
is the only part of the bill which is of any value. He suggested
rewriting the bill so that it deals exclusively with salvage sales.
He is a proponent of multiple use philosophy, and thinks spruce
bark beetle infestations are part of the natural cycle of forests.
SRES - 2/27/95
HB 121 SALVAGE TIMBER SALES
CHAIRMAN LEMAN brought HB 121 up before the Senate Resources
Committee once again.
SENATOR TAYLOR made a motion to discharge HB 121 from committee
with individual recommendations.
CHAIRMAN LEMAN objected, since there were people who hadn't yet had
a chance to testify on the bill. Senator Taylor did not have the
votes to sustain his motion, so the motion was overruled. The
chairman called the next witness.
Number 263
JEFF WRALEY, testifying from Homer, stated he is opposed to HB 121
and urged legislators to oppose the bill too. He asserted it would
benefit a special interest group: the logging industry. Mr. Wraley
thinks HB 121 would hurt fisheries and tourism.
Number 308
DORNE HAWXHURST, Cordova District Fishermen United (CDFU),
testifying from Cordova, stated CDFU is strongly opposed to HB 121.
She thinks it promotes timber harvesting as the state's highest
resource development priority.
CHAIRMAN LEMAN, after hearing complaints regarding how long people
have had to wait to testify, informed listeners that committee
members are still present and listening to testimony. He also
informed listeners there is a full audience in the Juneau committee
room, and some members of the Juneau audience have been waiting
quite a long time to testify also.
Number 331
RIKI OTT, United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA), testifying from
Cordova, stated UFA is opposed to HB 121 because it allows timber
harvesting priority over multiple-use on state lands.
SENATOR FRANK asked Dr. Ott if she has a limited entry permit.
DR. OTT responded she sold it last year.
SENATOR FRANK confirmed that Dr. Ott recognizes limited entry
permits are private property and can be bought and sold.
Number 381
LOUIE BENCARDINO, testifying from Seward, stated he supports HB
121, but he feels there should be a value-added component in the
bill.
Several witnesses have mentioned they had to wait longer than
expected to testify, and that some people have left teleconference
sites without testifying because of the length of the hearing.
CHAIRMAN LEMAN informed participants in the hearing that written
testimony is always welcome, and can be faxed to 465-3810.
RICK SMERIGLIO, testifying from Seward, stated he has lost trees on
his property to beetles, but he is opposed to HB 121 because it
exempts logging from AS 38.05.113 and 38.05.115.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Smeriglio who he represents and by whom he
is employed.
MR. SMERIGLIO responded he is representing himself, and is a
seasonal laborer who is currently unemployed. He added that many
people in Seward had to leave the hearing due to the late hour, but
in all fairness he must say that the majority of them favor HB 121.
Number 475
DOUG HANSON, Inventory Forester, Tanana Chief's Conference (TCC),
testifying from Fairbanks, stated TCC does not have a position on
HB 121, but he would like to mention several concerns TCC has with
the bill. Mr. Hanson suggested inserting wording which would
specify "current insect infestation." He also thinks a flexible
cap should be put on the volume or acreage allowed to be harvested.
Number 497
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Hanson if TCC has imposed similar
restrictions on its' lands.
MR. HANSON stated TCC has not done that. TCC does not own timbered
land.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Hanson if TCC has recommended to Doyon
that Doyon adopt similar restrictions.
MR. HANSON responded TCC has not made a similar recommendation to
Doyon.
SENATOR TAYLOR would like to hear Doyon's response to TCC's
recommendation.
MR. HANSON replied, in the conditions he has seen, there are
generally warning signs which occur before an infestation. But he
does not know if that is enough to warrant a salvage sale.
Number 526
DANINE HARBUT, Executive Assistant, Fairbanks Industrial
Development Corporation (FIDC), testifying from Fairbanks, stated
HB 121 gives an opportunity to apply proper forest management
techniques. FIDC supports HB 121.
Number 540
DUANE ANDERSON, testifying from Soldotna, asserted HB 121 has been
crafted with specific users in mind. Mr. Anderson gave testimony
unfavorable to HB 121.
TAPE 95-17, SIDE B
MR. ANDERSON continued with his testimony, and insisted that the
problems the timber industry was having in Senator Taylor's
district were dissimilar from the problems on the Kenai Peninsula.
Number 574
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Anderson to call him the following day,
and said he would be happy to talk to him about the issue.
Number 565
INGRID PETERSON, Wild Tours, testifying from Soldotna, stated HB
121 is genocide for wildlife and Alaskans because wanton
deforestation contributes to the ongoing planetary collapse. Ms.
Peterson gave testimony unfavorable to HB 121.
Number 542
ED DAVIS, Board Member, Alaska Wilderness, Recreation & Tourism
Association, testifying from Valdez, thinks there are some
loopholes in HB 121. He informed the committee that the number one
complaint of tourists in the 1993 Alaska Visitor Association Survey
was seeing clear-cuts. Mr. Davis stated he has faxed his comments
to the committee.
Number 505
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Davis who his employer is.
MR. DAVIS replied he is employed by VECO.
CHAIRMAN LEMAN informed listeners that since the committee has not
been able to take testimony from everyone who wished to give it,
the bill will be held until Wednesday's committee meeting. The
chairman stated the committee will finish by taking testimony from
Juneau participants.
Number 495
CHUCK ACHBERGER, Executive Director, Juneau Chamber of Commerce,
stated the chamber supports HB 121. Mr. Achberger read a written
statement submitted to the committee.
Number 480
WAYNE NICOLLS, Legislative Liaison, Alaska Society of American
Foresters, stated the society has a national membership of 20,000.
Mr. Nicolls relayed his forestry experience to the committee. The
Alaska Society of American Foresters supports HB 121 under its'
general position on forest health.
Number 438
SENATOR TAYLOR informed the committee he has known Mr. Nicolls for
some time, and he has a great deal of integrity. Though he and Mr.
Nicolls have frequently not agreed on issues, one thing they have
always agreed upon is that stewardship is a primary responsibility
of ownership.
Number 432
CHAIRMAN LEMAN asked Mr. Nicolls, "We heard in previous testimony
from Mr. Anderson several comments. One dealt with the issue of
spruce bark beetle damaged or killed trees--don't burn as fast as
green. Do you have any comments regarding that statement?"
MR. NICOLLS replied, "It depends on the season. But, generally
when trees die, it's like tinder for the first few years after
that. Eventually they'll fall down and rot, and they aren't a fire
hazard anymore.
Number 423
SENATOR FRANK asked Mr. Nicolls how involved his society is in
timber issues.
MR. NICOLLS responded the society has position papers on most
issues in the state, but does not have the funds to support its'
positions. The society is interested in all the forest resources,
not just timber.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Nicolls the primary cause of the extensive
forest fires in the continental United States last summer.
MR. NICOLLS answered the primary causes were long dry spells and
areas that were protected for a long time. In some areas bug-
killed timber was a contributor.
Number 384
SARA HANNAN, Alaska Environmental Lobby, stated HB 121 would
subsidize exporters of chip wood and urged the committee not to
subsidize the timber industry. She also urged the committee to
change to bill to encompass dead trees only. Ms. Hannan submitted
a written statement to the committee.
Number 317
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Ms. Hannan if she knew the value that had been
lost from the infestations.
MS. HANNAN replied she does not know the size of the problem, but
she thinks there are already tools in place to handle the problem.
SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Boutin if he could testify as to the exact
magnitude of the problem.
Number 290
TOM BOUTIN, Director, Division of Forestry, Department of Natural
Resources, stated he knows of logging operations that range in size
from one or two-person operations on up to 500-person operations.
Mr. Boutin also informed the committee that smaller operations cost
the state more money to administer. He thinks an accurate estimate
of the board feet lost to insect infestation is about one billion
board feet.
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