Legislature(1997 - 1998)
03/11/1998 03:41 PM Senate RES
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HB 182 - QUALIFICATIONS OF STATE FORESTER
CHAIRMAN HALFORD called the Senate Resources Committee meeting to
order at 3:41 p.m. and announced HB 182 to be up for consideration.
REPRESENTATIVE BILL WILLIAMS, sponsor, said he introduced HB 182 to
strengthen the State Forestry Program which is already one of the
strongest in the nation. The bill requires the head of the
Division of Forestry to have a bachelor's degree or higher in a
Forestry related program. It also requires three years of field
experience and gives Fire Chiefs a formal opportunity to provide
input into the State Forester's hiring process. This legislation
is supported by Alaska Forest Association, the Alaska Society of
American Foresters, the Fire Chiefs Association, and is not opposed
by the administration.
SENATOR TORGERSON asked if a person could have a degree in habitat
protection and be the State Forester since habitat is a forest
related program.
REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS said on the House side, he tried to get
this to where everyone accepted it and they all agreed to give it
more latitude. He thought three years in the forestry area would
probably answer that question.
SENATOR TORGERSON asked if you could have been a fire fighter in
the Municipality of Anchorage for three years and be the State
Forester.
REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS answered that he didn't think so.
SENATOR TORGERSON said he wanted to tighten up that language.
Number 71
MR. JEFF JAHNKE, State Forester, supported HB 182. He said with
the increased wild and urban based issues, the Alaska Fire Chiefs
have become a major cooperative effort at the Division of Forestry
and their fire programs. He supported them having a role in
providing input into the decision for the selection of the State
Forester because of that importance.
SENATOR TORGERSON asked him what his degree is in.
MR. JAHNKE replied that he has a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in
Forest Management.
SENATOR TORGERSON asked if he had heard of a degree in a forest
related program, because he thought that seemed rather broad based.
MR. JAHNKE responded that forest management is only part of what
the Division of Forestry does in terms of the fire programs,
although he recognized the possible need to change that language.
The Society of American Foresters actually use the term "broad
field of forestry" and define it as "those biological,
quantitative, managerial, and social subject areas that are focused
on the management and conservation of forest resources." The
language in the bill closely parallels that.
SENATOR TORGERSON asked if he took fire fighting under his Forestry
Management Degree.
MR. JAHNKE replied yes, he had taken several courses in fire
fighting and has a lot of experience.
SENATOR LEMAN asked if a Degree in Agricultural Engineering be too
far afield from this.
MR. JAHNKE answered that he thought it would apply under the
Society of American Forester's definition, if there was sufficient
experience in forestry to augment that education.
SENATOR TORGERSON moved on page 1, line 11 to delete "forestry
related programs" and insert "forest management."
Number 196
MR. JAHNKE commented that the Commissioner wanted to have more
eligible people to choose from.
SENATOR GREEN asked if forest management was a major or a field of
study.
MR. JAHNKE answered yes. Forestry is recognized by the Society of
American Foresters. Forest Management, Logging Engineering, or
Forest Engineering are all considered forestry degrees and
addressed and recognized by the Society as being degrees that lead
to qualification as a professional forester.
SENATOR LEMAN said he didn't want to exclude a person who had not
otherwise make the cut, because they have a degree in some closely
allied field, but whose experience is exactly what they are looking
for.
SENATOR TAYLOR said he shared the same concerns as Senator
Torgerson, because he and Senator Sharp reviewed the Division of
Habitat to find out what degrees were enforcing various habitat
concerns. Most of them were sociologists, anthropologists, English
Literature majors, etc. Out of 29 people, two had any scientific
background at all.
CHAIRMAN HALFORD said he thought language emphasizing experience
was a good idea.
SENATOR GREEN said a letter from the Society of American Foresters
supported HB 182 to the extent it would require a professional
forester and asked if there was a definition the Committee could
put in.
Number 259
MR. JAHNKE said there was the a three part definition that is
requirement for certification as a professional in the Society.
SENATOR GREEN asked if someone who has experience in habitat would
qualify under the three part test.
MR. JAHNKE answered they would qualify if they had the experience.
There is a panel and a review process when you apply for membership
in the Society.
SENATOR LINCOLN said that a professional forester is fairly broad
including forest economics, silvaculture, timber management, forest
hydrology, and more. She asked if saying it has to be in forest
management would be excluding those areas.
SENATOR TORGERSON said he was trying to eliminate the third section
that says you can be anything else and that you don't have to have
a degree in forestry as long as you're in a related field. He
didn't think that was proper.
SENATOR LINCOLN asked if he wanted to exclude the other degrees she
had just listed.
MR. JAHNKE said that is an open question. Many institutions offer
a specific degree in Forest Management and title them Forest
Management. They distinguish that degree from one in Forest
Engineering or Forest Economics.
SENATOR LINCOLN asked if Senator Torgerson would object to wording
that would include a degree in a related forest management area, to
cover all the other areas that might not be defined specifically as
Forest Management.
SENATOR TORGERSON read from the same letter Senator Lincoln was
reading from, saying it should be noted that forestry as defined by
college campuses includes forest economics, silvaculture, timber
management, and a host of other self disciplines. What he is
trying to leave out is Section C of the other letter that says you
can be a scientist or practitioner who holds a bachelor's degree or
higher within a broad field of forestry based upon a curriculum
that is neither SAF accredited nor a candidate for accreditation.
SENATOR LINCOLN said she wanted language saying forest management
or somehow related to that.
SENATOR TORGERSON said he wanted someone in there who has a degree
in Forest Management.
REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS said he supported adding eight years of
experience which might take care of the engineers and people who
had been working in the field.
SENATOR TAYLOR said they want someone to head up this department
with managerial background in this field and possessing some
expertise in it.
CHAIRMAN HALFORD said he didn't want to exclude someone, if you can
get them, who retired from the federal system and was the best they
had and is willing to take the job and spend some time to help us.
SENATOR TORGERSON said he didn't have a problem with using work
experience.
SENATOR LEMAN said he was concerned with not naming some other
programs that some colleges are calling forest engineering or
something like that that is closely related to forest management.
He suggested an amendment to the amendment adding "or related
forest or agricultural science or engineering program." He
supported work experience also.
SENATOR GREEN asked if they intend to capitalize forest management.
SENATOR TORGERSON said he wanted to leave it uncapitalized.
SENATOR LEMAN moved to remove his amendment. There were no
objections.
CHAIRMAN HALFORD asked if there were any objections to the
amendment before them.
SENATOR LEMAN said he wanted to add after "forest management" "or
related engineering program." The amendment to the amendment
failed to pass. SENATOR LEMAN voted yes; SENATORS LINCOLN, GREEN,
TAYLOR, TORGERSON, and HALFORD voted no.
Number 450
SENATOR TAYLOR offered the amendment "shall have a bachelor's
degree or higher degree in forest management and at least three
years experience in forestry or at least eight years professional
work experience as a forester." The amendment passed. SENATOR
LEMAN voted no; SENATORS GREEN, SHARP, TAYLOR, TORGERSON, and
HALFORD voted yes.
SENATOR SHARP asked why the Fire Chief's Association was included.
CHAIRMAN HALFORD explained that they interface with populated
areas. He said the Board is what makes this whole thing happen and
they already have input now.
SENATOR TORGERSON moved to pass SCSHB 182(RES)from committee with
individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so
ordered.
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