04/10/2006 01:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB395 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 395 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 10, 2006
2:05 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Bert Stedman, Chair
Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair
Senator Thomas Wagoner
Senator Albert Kookesh
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Johnny Ellis
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 395(FIN)
"An Act relating to the period of the fire season; and providing
for an effective date."
MOVED CSHB 395(FIN) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 395
SHORT TITLE: FIRE SEASON DATES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) OLSON
01/25/06 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/25/06 (H) RES, FIN
02/06/06 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 124
02/06/06 (H) Moved Out of Committee
02/06/06 (H) MINUTE(RES)
02/08/06 (H) RES RPT 6DP 1NR
02/08/06 (H) DP: GATTO, ELKINS, LEDOUX, CRAWFORD,
OLSON, RAMRAS;
02/08/06 (H) NR: SAMUELS
02/14/06 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519
02/14/06 (H) Heard & Held
02/14/06 (H) MINUTE(FIN)
03/02/06 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519
03/02/06 (H) Moved CSHB 395(FIN) Out of Committee
03/02/06 (H) MINUTE(FIN)
03/06/06 (H) FIN RPT CS(FIN) NT 5DP 2NR 1AM
03/06/06 (H) DP: HAWKER, FOSTER, KELLY, MEYER,
CHENAULT;
03/06/06 (H) NR: JOULE, HOLM;
03/06/06 (H) AM: WEYHRAUCH
03/22/06 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
03/22/06 (H) VERSION: CSHB 395(FIN)
03/24/06 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/24/06 (S) CRA, RES
WITNESS REGISTER
Konrad Jackson, Staff
Representative Kurt Olson
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced HB 395
Lynn Wilcox, Fire Program Manager
Division of Forestry
Department of Natural Resources
400 Willoughby Ave.
Juneau, AK 99801-1724
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 395
Steve Gibson
Small Potatoes Lumber Company
Homer, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 395
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR BERT STEDMAN called the Senate Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 2:05:38 PM.
Present were Senator Gary Stevens, Senator Thomas Wagoner, and
Chair Bert Stedman.
HB 395-FIRE SEASON DATES
2:06:13 PM
CHAIR BERT STEDMAN announced HB 395 to be up for consideration.
KONRAD JACKSON, Staff to Representative Kurt Olson, explained
that HB 395 starts and ends the fire season one month earlier.
Doing so allows the Division of Forestry to get seasonal
firefighting personnel and equipment in place and ready to fight
the early-season fires that have become much more prevalent with
the changing Alaska weather.
MR. JACKSON outlined some of the early-season fires including
the 2005 Tracy Avenue Fire that was one of the earliest complex
fires in state history. When it started, just one firefighting
aircraft was in the state and it was diverted to three other
fires on its way to Homer. He drew attention to the maps in the
packets showing the major Kenai Peninsula fires since 1996 as
well as the areas in Southcentral Alaska that have been hit by
the spruce bark beetle.
Since man is a main cause of the pre-green-up fires, setting the
fire season start date one month earlier will help with public
awareness programs and that might help prevent some of those
early fires, he said.
2:10:34 PM
SENATOR GARY STEVENS acknowledged the importance of starting the
fire season earlier, but he questioned whether September fires
weren't an issue.
MR. JACKSON replied fires do extend beyond the current September
30 end of fire season and sometimes DNR has had to ask for
supplemental money. That would probably continue to be the case,
but the reason for changing the end date as well was to keep the
fiscal note at zero.
SENATOR GARY STEVENS said that's understandable but if the
reality is that fire danger extends into September that merits
consideration.
MR. JACKSON replied once the equipment is in place it's easier
to fight fires. If there were a fire in September the equipment
might still be in place.
SENATOR WAGONER said he'd like to hear from the department about
the dew point and the amount of rainfall in September versus
April.
2:14:07 PM
LYNN WILCOX, Fire Program Manager, Division of Forestry,
Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said it's the early-
season fires that have been problematic because fire equipment
isn't in place and people haven't been trained. Furthermore, he
said, April is historically the driest month of the year in
Alaska. The wet season typically starts in late July or early
August and continues into September with just one high in that
period. The last two years are contrary to historical averages
though and more than 3 million acres burned in August 2004 and
2005.
September is typically the end of lightening-caused fires and
the issue then becomes human-caused fires. However, if there are
ongoing fires as in the last two years, they often continue
through August and still pose problems through part of
September.
2:16:32 PM
STEVE GIBSON, Homer logger, said he had two points to make.
First, springs are warmer now than in years past so the fire
danger is high earlier than it used to be. Second, the spruce
bark beetle epidemic has caused the fire danger level to rise
dramatically all over Southcentral Alaska regardless of whether
or not an area has been logged. The mixture of grass and beetle
kill makes a fast-moving fire that is hard to fight.
CHAIR STEDMAN asked if he cuts and mills beetle-killed spruce
before or after a fire.
MR. GIBSON said as a one-horse sawmill he doesn't target burned
timber, but he has milled it on occasion.
2:20:35 PM
CHAIR STEDMAN noted there was no further testimony or questions
and he was ready for a motion.
SENATOR GARY STEVENS motioned to report CSHB 395(FIN) and
attached fiscal note(s) from committee with individual
recommendations. There being no objection, it was so ordered.
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Stedman adjourned the meeting at 2:21:19 PM.
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