04/28/2006 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

         HB 420-FOREST RESOURCES & PRACTICES STANDARDS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WAGONER announced HB 420 to be up for consideration.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MARTY  WELBOURN   FREEMAN,  Forest  Resources   Program  Manager,                                                               
Division  of Forestry,  Department  of  Natural Resources  (DNR),                                                               
explained that  HB 420 updates the  riparian management standards                                                               
in Region  II in  Southcentral Alaska.  Specifically that  is the                                                               
area  along streams,  particularly  salmon  and other  high-value                                                               
fish streams.  Riparian standards  have already been  updated for                                                               
Regions I and III so this is the last in a long process.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. FREEMAN said  the process began with a  science and technical                                                               
committee  composed of  fisheries biologists,  forest ecologists,                                                               
soil  scientists,  and  hydrologists   that  looked  at  relevant                                                               
information  and made  recommendations. The  recommendations were                                                               
given  to   an  implementation  group,  which   was  composed  of                                                               
representatives  of  the  people potentially  affected  including                                                               
forest land  owners, the timber  industry, the  fishing industry,                                                               
environmental groups,  and the agencies that  would implement the                                                               
bill.  The  idea  was  to  develop practical  ways  to  make  the                                                               
scientists'   recommendations   work   on   the   ground.   Those                                                               
recommendations are reflected in HB 420.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS.  FREEMAN noted  that  the  Board of  Forestry  worked on  and                                                               
endorses the  broadly supported bill. Significant  landholders in                                                               
Region  II  have been  contacted  and  have expressed  a  comfort                                                               
level, she said.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
HB 420  is specifically tailored  to Region II  conditions, which                                                               
are different than  the other regions. In particular  it has more                                                               
dynamic rivers  that overlap with  areas that have  potential for                                                               
commercial forestry. In  Region II the volume of  timber is lower                                                               
than  other  regions,  but  the  fishery  values  are  high.  For                                                               
instance, Region II  represents just 11 percent of  the land area                                                               
in the state and it has between  30 percent and 50 percent of the                                                               
recreational sport fishing.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:47:10 PM                                                                                                                    
MS. FREEMAN related  that the bill broadens the  buffers on large                                                               
dynamic rivers and  narrows the buffers on  smaller streams. This                                                               
was a  concern to the  timber industry because small  streams are                                                               
numerous and  difficult to plan  around. She described this  as a                                                               
specifically tailored balance.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BEN STEVENS  recalled  the rewrite  for  Region III  and                                                               
asked if the set backs are similar.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. FREEMAN replied  the buffers are different in  each region to                                                               
accommodate  specific conditions.  Region II  is quite  different                                                               
from  Region III  because  of  the number  of  large rivers  that                                                               
overlap  with  timber that  has  commercial  potential. She  said                                                               
wider buffers  are needed on  those stream types because  the way                                                               
they  recruit wood  into  the  stream to  form  islands and  side                                                               
channels is by eroding the banks  as the channels shift. The side                                                               
channels are particularly important for fish habitat.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BEN  STEVENS asked if  the percentage of wide  buffers is                                                               
greater in Region II than in Region III.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. FREEMAN responded Region II  has more large and small rivers,                                                               
but  it's an  overall  package  that is  reasonable  in terms  of                                                               
protecting  the  resources and  the  impact  that would  have  on                                                               
landowners.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:49:20 PM                                                                                                                    
JAMES DURST,  Office of Habitat  Management (OHM),  Department of                                                               
Natural Resources  (DNR), Fairbanks, said DNR/OHM  fully supports                                                               
the process and the outcome.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WAGONER closed the public hearing.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BEN  STEVENS asked  where he  could find  definitions for                                                               
the different stream and river types.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. FREEMAN  replied the  last section of  the bill  contains the                                                               
specific definitions  for the water  bodies that are  specific to                                                               
Region II.  Each region has  its own classification  system based                                                               
on the stream type, the  topography, and the distribution of fish                                                               
in the particular stream.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BEN  STEVENS asked if she  was referring to Section  6 on                                                               
page 8.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. FREEMAN said yes.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:51:11 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  BERT   STEDMAN  moved  to  report   CSHB  420(FSH)  from                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations  and attached  fiscal                                                               
note. No objection was stated, and it was so ordered.