SJR 8: Relating to the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, report known as the "Reinvention of the Forest Service"; and opposing the recommendation in that report of combining the Alaska Region of the Forest Service with another region and of moving the regional forest service office from Alaska.
00SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 8 01 Relating to the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, report 02 known as the "Reinvention of the Forest Service"; and opposing the 03 recommendation in that report of combining the Alaska Region of the Forest 04 Service with another region and of moving the regional forest service office from 05 Alaska. 06 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07 WHEREAS the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, has issued 08 a report called the "Reinvention of the Forest Service"; and 09 WHEREAS the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, is responsible 10 for multiple-use management and protection of the two national forests located in Alaska, the 11 Tongass National Forest and the Chugach National Forest; and 12 WHEREAS the Tongass National Forest and the Chugach National Forest are the 13 largest national forests in the United States; and 14 WHEREAS the Tongass National Forest encompasses 17,000,000 acres, and the
01 Chugach National Forest, 5,600,000 acres; and 02 WHEREAS both national forests have unique physical and environmental conditions 03 and wildlife and habitat needs; and 04 WHEREAS the Tongass National Forest and Chugach National Forest play an 05 important role in the diversified economies of Southeast and Southcentral Alaska by providing 06 timber and other resources, and by providing opportunities for commercial and sport fisheries, 07 tourism and recreational activities, and subsistence hunting and fishing; and 08 WHEREAS multiple use of national forests in Alaska is defined not just by the 09 Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 and the respective forests' land management plans, 10 as on national forests in other states, but also by the Alaska National Interest Lands 11 Conservation Act (ANILCA); and 12 WHEREAS the "Reinvention of the Forest Service" report proposes the merger of the 13 Alaska Region of the Forest Service with the Pacific Northwest Region; and 14 WHEREAS the "Reinvention of the Forest Service" report also proposes to move the 15 Alaska Region Forest Service office from Juneau, Alaska, to Portland, Oregon; and 16 WHEREAS moving the Regional Forester's office to Portland would diminish the 17 ability of the Forest Service to effectively manage and protect the Tongass National Forest in 18 Southeast Alaska and the Chugach National Forest in Southcentral Alaska; and 19 WHEREAS moving the Alaska Region Forest Service office to Portland and merging 20 the Alaska Region with the Pacific Northwest Region would result in a loss of jobs in 21 Southeast and Southcentral Alaska; and 22 WHEREAS moving the Alaska Region Forest Service office to Portland could affect 23 public participation in Forest Service decisions and state, local, and tribal government 24 interests; 25 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests that the 26 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, reconsider its proposal to merge the Alaska 27 Region with the Pacific Northwest Region; and be it 28 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Forest Service retain a regional office in Juneau to 29 maintain a strong management presence in Alaska so as to better provide for the utilization 30 and protection of the unique forest service resources in Alaska; and be it 31 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Forest Service balance any reductions in jobs to
01 protect the unique multiple-use mandates of both the Tongass National Forest and Chugach 02 National Forest. 03 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Dan Glickman, Secretary of 04 Agriculture; the Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior; Jack Ward Thomas, Chief 05 of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and 06 the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. 07 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.