Legislature(1995 - 1996)
02/28/1996 08:03 AM House RES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
February 28, 1996
8:03 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Joe Green, Co-Chairman
Representative William K. "Bill" Williams, Co-Chairman
Representative Scott Ogan, Vice Chairman
Representative Alan Austerman
Representative John Davies
Representative Pete Kott
Representative Don Long
Representative Irene Nicholia
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Ramona Barnes
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 265
"An Act relating to the export of live dungeness crab."
- MOVED CSHB 265 (FSH) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 344
"An Act authorizing the commissioner of the Department of Natural
Resources to negotiate and enter into timber sale contracts that
provide for local manufacture of high value-added wood products;
and establishing an Alaska Forest Products Research and Marketing
Program within the Department of Commerce and Economic
Development."
- HEARD AND HELD
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: HB 265
SHORT TITLE: EXPORT OF DUNGENESS CRAB
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) WILLIAMS
JRN-DATE JRN-PG ACTION
03/17/95 778 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
03/17/95 778 (H) FSH, RESOURCES
03/22/95 (H) RES AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 124
03/22/95 (H) MINUTE(RES)
03/29/95 (H) FSH AT 5:00 PM CAPITOL 124
03/29/95 (H) MINUTE(FSH)
04/05/95 (H) FSH AT 5:00 PM CAPITOL 124
04/05/95 (H) MINUTE(FSH)
02/21/96 (H) FSH AT 5:00 PM CAPITOL 124
02/26/96 2882 (H) FSH RPT CS(FSH) 2DP 2NR
02/26/96 2883 (H) DP: ELTON, G.DAVIS
02/26/96 2883 (H) NR: AUSTERMAN, OGAN
02/26/96 2883 (H) 2 ZERO FISCAL NOTES (F&G, DEC)
02/28/96 (H) RES AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 124
BILL: HB 344
SHORT TITLE: VALUE-ADDED TIMBER SALES; MARKETING
SPONSOR(S): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
JRN-DATE JRN-PG ACTION
05/10/95 2085 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
05/10/95 2085 (H) RESOURCES, FINANCE
05/10/95 2085 (H) FISCAL NOTE (DNR)
05/10/95 2085 (H) 3 ZERO FNS (DCED, CRA, UA)
05/10/95 2085 (H) GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER
09/19/95 (H) RES AT 9:00 AM
02/21/96 (H) RES AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 124
02/21/96 (H) MINUTE(RES)
02/28/96 (H) RES AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 124
WITNESS REGISTER
CHERYL SUTTON, Legislative Aide
to Representative Williams
Alaska State Legislature
State Capitol, Room 128
Juneau, AK 99801
Telephone: (907) 465-3424
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 265
GERON BRUCE, Legislative Liaison
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Fish and Game
P.O. Box 25526
Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526
Telephone: (907) 465-6143
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported HB 265
DON HASELTINE, Crabber
P.O. Box 7682
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
Telephone: (907) 247-1336
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported HB 265
ELIZABETH WEST, Director of Communications
Alaska Forrest Association
111 Stedman Street
Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
Telephone: (907) 225-6114
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of CSHB 344(RES)
DUANE ANDERSON
c/o General Delivery
Palmer, Alaska 99645
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed CSHB 344(RES)
STEVE KALLICK, Director
Alaska Rainforest Campaign
Member, Governor's Board of Forestry
1016 West 6th Avenue, Suite 200
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Telephone: (907) 274-7246
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed CSHB 344(RES)
RON LONG, Representative
Seward Port Commerce Advisory Board
P.O. BOX 2464
Seward, Alaska 99664
Telephone: (907) 224-7068
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported CSHB 344(RES)
FRANK AGE, Owner
Specific Red Cedar Company
Vancouver, Washington
Telephone: (360) 629-6395
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported CSHB 344(RES)
ERIK HOLLAND
427 First Avenue
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
Telephone: (907) 452-4456
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on CSHB 344(RES)
STUART PECHEK
3927 Venture
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
Telephone: (907) 479-6987
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on CSHB 344(RES)
DAN RITZMAN, Lobbyist
Northern Alaska Environmental Lobby
218 Driveway Street
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
Telephone: (907) 452-5021
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on CSHB 344(RES)
MARK WHEELER, Lobbyist
Alaska Environmental Lobby, Incorporated
P.O. Box 22151
Juneau, Alaska 99802
Telephone: (907) 463-3366
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on CSHB 344(RES)
THOMAS H. BOUTIN, State Forester
Director's Office
Division of Forestry
Department of Natural Resources
400 Willoughby Avenue, Third Floor
Juneau, Alaska 99801-1724
Telephone: (907) 465-3379
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on CSHB 344(RES)
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 96-25, SIDE A
Number 0000
CO-CHAIRMAN BILL WILLIAMS called the House Resources Committee
meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Members present at the call to order
were Representatives Green, Williams, Ogan, Austerman, Davies,
Kott, Long and Nicholia. A quorum was present. This meeting was
teleconferenced to Anchorage, Seward, Ketchikan, Mat-Su, and
Fairbanks.
CO-CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS announced that the agenda was HB 265 and HB
344. He said it was his intention to move HB 265 out of committee
today, but it was not his intent to move HB 344 out of committee
today.
HB 265 - EXPORT OF DUNGENESS CRAB
Number 0126
CHERYL SUTTON, Legislative Aide to Representative Williams, was
first to testify. She said HB 265 is an economic development bill
and was introduced by Representative Williams in response to
constituents who are struggling to develop a live crab market in
British Columbia. She said, currently, if an out of state live
dungeness crab market is formed there is a requirement that the
product is shipped throughout the year by air. She said air
transportation of live crab is tricky, due to weather, and in many
cases cost prohibitive.
MS. SUTTON said the committee substitute for HB 265 would remove
the air-transportation-only restriction when shipping live
dungeness crab out of state. She said HB 265 goes further by
addressing concerns regarding marine toxins, particularly paralytic
shellfish poisoning (PSP). It does this by not allowing surface
transportation where the Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) is requiring the testing of crab for marine toxins. She said
the DEC requirement addresses concerns for areas outside of
Southeast Alaska such as the Kodiak fishery which tests hot
consistently for PSP, requiring the crab to be sectioned and the
viscera removed. She said besides Kodiak and Southeast Alaska, no
other areas in the state have dungeness fisheries that occur in
significant amounts.
MS. SUTTON said all the recording requirements are in place for
this fishery to occur. Fishermen would be classified as catcher-
exporters and appropriate taxes would be paid and catch statistics
recorded. She said there was a memorandum located in the committee
packet from the legislative research agency on this subject. She
said HB 265 will allow fishermen to expand their market, provide
diversification and added that it is a good economic development
bill. She said there are two zero fiscal notes attached to HB 265.
Number 0290
REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT OGAN asked if HB 265 would have any negative
impacts on the fishing stocks.
MS. SUTTON said anyone can fish illegally at any time if they have
the will to do so. She said resource management and illegal
harvesting is always an issue, but she felt that the recording
mechanisms were in place to track and manage the fisheries. She
added that the Department of Fish and Game (DF&G) has no problem
with HB 265.
Number 0386
GERON BRUCE, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Commissioner,
Department of Fish and Game, was next to testify. He said the
DF&G supports HB 265 and added that he was available for any
questions.
Number 0404
CO-CHAIR JOE GREEN asked about PSP, specifically the two year
suspension of winter PSP testing of crab viscera in areas where
there have been determinations of PSP.
Number 0440
MS. SUTTON said DEC spot tests for PSP. She said it is monitored
through the processors and sufficient spot testing is done to know
if there is a level which exceeds a certain limit. She added that
the DEC requires that areas be tested all the time. She said only
two areas have been identified by DEC, so far, Southeast and the
Bering Sea where DEC does not require constant monitoring. She
said DEC will do spot testing, but they will never cease from
monitoring in one form or another for health and safety reasons.
Number 0520
CO-CHAIR GREEN asked if the receiving market needed a certification
that the crab was PSP free.
Number 0529
MS. SUTTON said it is the state of Alaska which issues the
certification that the dungeness crab are PSP free, by virtue of
the fact that they allow air or surface transport of the crab.
Number 0580
DON HASELTINE, Crabber, testified via teleconference from
Ketchikan. He said the fishermen have lost the crab market due to
the PSP scare in 1991. He said at that time the one processor in
the area backed out of the market. He said if markets in British
Columbia are allowed, trucking and tenders could be used to get the
crab out which would be economic and would maintain a good product.
Number 0653
MR. HASELTINE said the current law requires air transport. He
said, in Ketchikan, this means using Alaska Airlines which flies
down to Seattle. He said the Seattle market is saturated, so
markets in San Francisco and Vancouver, as well as other markets
must be targeted. He said due to the varying weather conditions,
it averages about 20 to 30 hours to ship that live product. He
said this time period can mean the loss of the whole product or a
reduction in the quality of that product. He said in his area the
crabs have never tested positive for PSP and added that he didn't
understand the concern regarding that issue in regards to
transporting the crab. He said the air transport provision does
not necessarily ensure that the crabs would be tested, as the crabs
can be flown out without going through the town.
Number 0717
MR. HASELTINE discussed the market possibilities under HB 265. He
said there is a market in Vancouver and Prince Rupert which would
be cost effective to market if trucking could be utilized. He said
a local processor is interested in shipping crabs to Prince Rupert
by boat. He said the delays associated with air transport create
a poor product due to the added length of time.
Number 0793
MR. HASELTINE said there is no crabbing currently occurring because
of the cost associated with crabbing and the potential loss of the
product due to the air transport factors. He said DF&G and DEC do
not have a problem with using other methods of transportation for
shipping dungeness crabs.
Number 0906
REPRESENTATIVE DON LONG asked why dungeness crab is specified in HB
265 as compared to other types of crab.
Number 0925
MS. SUTTON said other types of crab have PSP problems, with the
exception of the Opilio Tanner crab in the Bering Sea. She said
the months Opilio Tanner crabs are fished there is not a lot of
enforcement and because of this ADF&G would have accountability
concerns if that type of crab was included in HB 265. She
concluded that the dungeness crab was a safe fishery in terms of
accountability, no reported PSP content and it is in close
proximity to a market.
Number 0999
REPRESENTATIVE ALAN AUSTERMAN said the original version of HB 265
did not refer to the DEC requirements regarding PSP precautions.
He said DEC requires a winter window in which the crab can be
shipped. In the summer, when there is a possibility of PSP, the
crabs cannot be shipped. He said the current wording of the
committee substitute of HB 265 incorporates this DEC requirement.
Number 1040
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN asked if there were any concerns associated
with enforcement around the shipping of the crab. He referred to
the comment made by Mr. Haseltine about sending the crab down on
tenders.
Number 1084
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN said these fisheries are done on an
allocation of poundage and the recording system is the same. He
said even if crabs were shipped, a report would be made on how much
crab is caught before the season closes. He added that the issue
of enforcement is a separate issue and does not relate to HB 265,
because if people are going to act outside the law then they would
do it with or without the passage of HB 265.
Number 1135
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN made a motion to move CSHB 265 with the
accompanying fiscal notes and individual recommendations. Hearing
no objection CSHB 265 (FSH) was moved from the House Standing
Committee on Resources.
HB 344 - VALUE-ADDED TIMBER SALES; MARKETING
Number 1230
CO-CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS said at the February 21, 1996, House Resource
Committee meeting, a committee substitute, CSHB 344(RES) was
adopted. He said the meeting today is a continuation of discussion
on CSHB 344(RES) and he repeated that he is not intending to move
this bill today.
ELIZABETH WEST, Director of Communications, Alaska Forrest
Association, testified via teleconference from Ketchikan. She said
the Alaska Forest Association (AFA) represents the timber industry
throughout Alaska and supports legislation which continues to
improve economic opportunities by making timber resources of Alaska
available for production of value-added commodities. The AFA
thanked the Governor for introducing HB 344 and said they
appreciate the concept of a grounding forest products industry in
interior Alaska. She commended the House Resources Committee for
working with the industry to develop the CSHB 344(RES) to succeed
in the established goals and the AFA supports this legislation.
She said the language of CSHB 344(RES), which included a maximum
level of 10 million board feet, allows the industry a steady and
reliable supply of timber. She said this justifies investment in
the hardwood industry within the Tanana basin while maintaining a
moderate harvest elsewhere. She said because this is the maximum
limit, the AFA believes that the commissioner will take wide use of
this consideration.
MS. WEST said also approved of the changes made in CSHB 344(RES) in
the definition of high value-added products which will bring jobs
creating stability for families and communities. She said value-
added products open future possibilities for the timber industry.
She said the AFA believes CSHB 344(RES) is a practical solution
encouraging responsible harvest of the timber resources from the
interior forests in the state. She said the employment
opportunities it creates will aid the state's economy.
Number 1700
DUANE ANDERSON testified via teleconference from Palmer. He said
he moved to Palmer because of the future for value-added wood
products and the possibility that this industry might occur. He
said HB 344 does not create a resource basis which is dependable or
harvestable. He said, on the Kenai Peninsula there are over 75
individual wood processors, and in the Aramat Valley there are at
least 25 processors. He said a 1980 study was conducted by the
state of Alaska, in conjunction with the federal government, which
stated that there were over 200 (indiscernible) of one type or
another within the railbelt. He said the numbers of processors
makes HB 344 impossible to be done in a fair and equitable manner
for all involved parties. He said the proposed amendments to HB
344 would change the definition of value-added. He referred to
page four and cited the language which specified commercially dried
lumber. He said this is an expensive process and is not always a
beneficial process. He referred to another section of CSHB
344(RES), which he said, states that plywood is not included in the
value-added definition. He challenged anyone to show him how
plywood and veneer is not the best and the most logical product for
the species of wood located in the state of Alaska. He said the
drafter of HB 344 was not familiar with the timber industry in
Alaska.
Number 1700
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN said that veneer, plywood, finger-jointed
lumber and house logs have been added to the value-added definition
in CSHB 344(RES).
Number 1759
MR. ANDERSON said CSHB 344(RES) is headed in the wrong direction
and that within five years the legislature will find that this bill
would not work. He said he does not feel comfortable with all the
value judgments the state agencies would have to make under CSHB
344(RES).
Number 1824
STEVE KALLICK, Director, Alaska Rainforest Campaign and Member,
Governor's Board of Forestry, testified via teleconference from
Anchorage. He said HB 344 was the joint result of the timber
industry and environmental agencies work and added that the
committee substitute adopts some of the revisions that the Board of
Forestry suggested. However, he urged the committee to go back to
the original version of HB 344 which the Board of Forestry
proposed. He said the changes incorporated into CSHB 344(RES) have
been symbolic, and do not add to HB 344, but detract and cause
opposition. He said the Governor does not wish to administer HB
344 in a different way than the Board of Forestry recommendations.
He said CSHB 344(RES) incorporates minor changes, but he said that
the amount of timber in the interior creates discomfort.
MR. KALLICK said the way in which HB 344 and HB 212 have been
developed should be seen as a model of how legislation should be
developed. He said a process which allows the different factions
to work together can and will work, but needs the respect of the
legislature.
Number 2000
RON LONG, Representative, Seward Port Commerce Advisory Board,
testified via teleconference from Seward. He said he was pleased
to see the results of the committee substitute which included
language which makes CSHB 344(RES) more realistic. He said CSHB
344(RES) includes a mechanism to provide materials that people need
to build houses in Alaska. He referred to Mr. Kallick's testimony
and said last week, members of the environmental community were
pleased by the changes in CSHB 344(RES). He supported CSHB
344(RES).
Number 2055
FRANK AGE, Owner, Pacific Rim Cedar, Incorporated, testified via
teleconference from Vancouver, Washington. He said he is the owner
of a sawmill located in Wrangell. He said the timber industry in
Southeast Alaska is failing because there is no supply. He said he
is considering shutting down his operation in Wrangell because of
this reason. He said he supports any bill which acknowledges
concern and works to keep sawmills operating in Alaska. He then
cited the lackluster attitude of the federal government. He said
CSHB 344(RES) is not crafted to fit everyone's needs. He said
there are some vague areas where the commissioner has the
responsibility to decide how much of the wood should be used for
high value-added processing, but that he trusts the commissioner to
made that decision. He said there is not one person who can decide
how each and every log should be used, cut and processed and what
products should be made from it. He said the market dictates those
decisions on a day to day, year to year basis, but he assumes the
commissioner will use this information in his decision making.
Number 2133
MR. AGE supported CSHB 344(RES) and encouraged public support for
legislation relating to the continuing operations of the timber
industry.
Number 2196
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN asked Mr. Anderson to call him in his office
regarding his testimony.
Number 2220
ERIK HOLLAND testified via teleconference from Fairbanks. He said
he commiserated with Mr. Age regarding the timber industry. He
said in interior Alaska, the public does not want a large scale
forestry industry. He said he was sending a fax indicating this
sentiment and added that the response to HB 310 a few years back
also indicates this feeling. He said the public is interested in
helping small, local loggers and timber processors. He cited Gale
Teaster (ph.) and Bob Kite (ph.) as examples of these type of
processors. He said they utilize a small amount of the forest
resource and create high value added wood to the local market.
Number 2282
MR. HOLLAND said these local timber processors are being outbid for
resource by export driven markets. He said the state has not
accommodated their need for smaller amounts of wood in a timely
manner. The processors have said that they need easier access to
smaller amounts. He said the way in which CSHB 344(RES) is
drafted, he believed it would simply increase the amount of logs
going over seas. He said he is interested in conservation and not
for industrial forestry. He said Southeastern Alaskan solutions
might not work in interior Alaska. He said in the interior, there
is a unique opportunity to build a sustainable high value added
industry where small areas of woodland would suffice.
Number 2363
STUART PECHEK testified via teleconference from Fairbanks. He said
when HB 344 was submitted last spring, it appeared that there was
a bill that truly accessed the economic needs and the desire for a
local value added industry. He said it balanced the concern of
many residents to a desirable level of logging in the Tanana Valley
State Forest. He said he agreed with CSHB 344(RES) in general and
appreciate the work involved, but that key loopholes have been
added and that it overlaps HB 212. He said the use and abuse of
loopholes make many voters, like himself, leery of their inclusion
in CSHB 344(RES). He said one of those loopholes is located in
Section 2.A of the original language of five million board feet
instead of ten million seems adequate, especially with the long
term ten year contracts. He questioned the minimal number of
contracts, in this case, two per region is mandated by the state
government. He said he is interested in helping the local and
state economies, not to subsidizing the markets when the demand
might not be there. He said this is especially true when the
government is preaching fiscal responsibility. He referred to
Section 2C, the second part, which he felt should be eliminated or
defined to mean where pulp or chip describes the other value added
products is described under the small scale local operations. He
said his experience dictates that pulp operations require large
volumes of wood.
TAPE 96-25, SIDE B
Number 000
MR. PECHEK said there is a tremendous wilderness opportunities
located in the Tanana Valley. He said CSHB 344(RES) would work,
but he concluded that the original HB 344 fits that intent to a
greater degree.
Number 035
DAN RITZMAN, Lobbyist, Northern Alaska Environmental Lobby (NAEL),
testified via teleconference from Fairbanks. He said commercial
logging is just one of the large number of forest resources and
uses and mentioned that it is not the most economically viable one
to the state of Alaska. He mentioned the other forest resources;
fish, wildlife, water quality, scenic beauty, wilderness,
subsistence, recreation, sport and commercial fishing and tourism.
He said these resources would be damaged by large scale and
sustainable logging. He said these uses provide both economic and
non-economic benefits and should not be threatened by a single and
frequently incompatible use. He said when logging is to occur on
public lands, however, the NAEL agrees with the basic premise that
it makes no sense to export revenue creating chips and therefore
jobs out of the state. He said job creation at any cost is not
acceptable. He said to make sure that the state will require the
monitoring of individual logging sales and the cumulative effect of
logging on nearby private and other public lands be analyzed.
Number 102
MR. RITZMAN referred to page two, line eight, Section 2, the change
from the five million to ten million board feet is not acceptable
to many people in the interior especially when coupled with the ten
year contract. He said two independent surveys, done last winter,
showed that the Fairbanks community does not support contracts
longer than five years. He said ten year contracts are not needed
to encourage the types of value added industry. He cited examples
of the timber industry contracts in Southeast Alaska that are five
to seven years in length. He said the small value added industries
in the interior have said they need a three year supply in order to
obtain the loan.
Number 139
MR. RITZMAN referred to line 17, and said the language was
ambiguous. He interpreted it as meaning that there must be two of
these contracts, if this is the case, he said he is against it.
Number 153
MR. RITZMAN referred to SubSection C, which seems to say that one
of these contracts a small percentage of the woods, say 10 percent
could go to high value added and the other 90 percent would go to
other value added products such as pulp, chips, et cetera. He said
he did not see pulp and chips as value added.
Number 203
MARK WHEELER, Lobbyist, Alaska Environmental Lobby, Incorporated
(AEL), was next to testify. He said his organization represents 20
environmental organizations throughout the state of Alaska. He
said the AEL supports the concepts behind the original legislation
introduced by the Governor, but have specific concerns regarding
CSHB 344(RES). He said changes in CSHB 344(RES) misrepresent the
recommendations of the Board of Forestry and depart from the
original intent of the bill. The intent of HB 344 was to help
small high value-added processors acquire a stable timber supply.
He said the CSHB 344(RES) does not support this intent.
MR. WHEELER said adding value to timber cut in Alaska creates jobs
that stay in Alaska. However, job creation at any cost is not
acceptable. He said the state needs to guarantee the protection of
all uses of the forest before signing off on negotiated timber
products.
Number 235
MR. WHEELER specified specific concerns with CSHB 344(RES). He
said ten years is too long for negotiated contracts. He said
allowing contract obligations, rather than sound resource policies
is dangerous when doing forest management. He said contracts
should be limited to three years, as small value-added operations
in the interior have indicated that they need a three year
guaranteed supply to acquire loans.
Number 263
MR. WHEELER said that at least 70 percent of the timber should
undergo high value added processing. He said the commissioner
should also ensure that the maximum percentage feasible above 70
percent is dedicated to high value added products.
MR. WHEELER said ten million board feet is much too large for a
negotiated contract. The CSHB 344(RES) ignored the Board of
Forestry's recommendation to keep the maximum cut at five million
board feet per year. He said a cut of ten million board feet on
the boreal forest would astronomically increase the current rate of
logging. He said considering a different level of productivity on
state forests across Alaska would mean that logging levels would
not need to be determined on a specific, regional basis.
MR. WHEELER said the CSHB 344(RES) does not clearly limit the
number of contracts per region. He said the CSHB 344(RES)
misrepresents the recommendations of the Board of Forestry on this
matter. He said there should be a strict limitation of the number
of negotiated contracts on each region of the state.
Number 316
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN questioned page four, Section 2, line 21, and
said that high value added wood product means kiln dried or
commercially dried lumber, he asked if there was lumber which was
beetle killed whether or not that could be used as a dimensional
lumber product. He said we are importing 100 percent of
dimensional lumber to the state.
Representative Nicholia joined the committee meeting.
Number 383
THOMAS H. BOUTIN, State Forester, Director's Office, Division of
Forestry, Department of Natural Resources, was next to testify. He
said it was his recollection that the term commercially dried was
put in because some people are air drying lumber such as a company
in Nitilchik. He said it doesn't matter how the log started out,
because dimensional lumber is sold as 19 or less, unless it is sold
as MC 15 which gives it another $15 a thousand. He said boards are
usually sold at 12 percent of moisture content or less. He said a
green tree is usually 45 percent moisture when it is cut.
Number 420
MR. BOUTIN said the beetle killed trees have wet spots so they
still have to be dried to get rid of these wet spots and any type
of drying would qualify under this term, commercially dried.
Number 480
CO-CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS adjourned the meeting at 9:07 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|