SB 159-SUSITNA STATE FOREST  3:44:47 PM CO-CHAIR WAGONER announced SB 159 to be up for consideration [SB 159, 27-LS1179\M was before the committee]. 3:45:01 PM SENATOR LINDA MENARD, sponsor of SB 159, introduced her chief of staff and said they were working on a committee substitute (CS) that would address two items. First, it will exempt the private inholdings that lie within the proposed forest boundaries and secondly, it will address intent language that Senator Stedman spoke to during Monday's meeting. MIKE ROVITO, chief of staff for Senator Menard, said he had no testimony and was ready for public testimony. CO-CHAIR WAGONER found no further testimony off net. 3:46:26 PM NICK STEEN, member, Ruffed Grouse Society-Southcentral Chapter, MatSu, AK, supported SB 159, but proposed modifying the boundaries to include all unencumbered state lands draining into Cook Inlet between Beluga Lake and the southern boundaries of the Denali National and State Parks. He explained that currently the bill is comprised of 14 non-contiguous parcels of land and keeping this land in state ownership under the forest designation is important to guaranteeing continued space for recreational use of ever expanding population centers in Southcentral and for wildlife, and to retain the character of the land most people came to Alaska to experience. He said a state forest is the least restrictive land designation that can be managed for everyone's benefit with the exception of those wishing to see land transferred to private ownership. As the population of Southcentral increases, the recreational demand can no longer be met if land is continued being released into private ownership. MR. STEEN said numerous land disposal programs throughout the area have been considered and much of the waterfront land with easy access points has already been ceded to private ownership. These private inholdings will make access for timber extraction difficult. He stated that interspersing additional transfers of land to private ownership within the land designated for forest management makes no sense at all. Under the recently enacted Susitna Matanuska Area Plan (SMAP) some of the areas that he is requesting to be designated as a state forest are slated for land disposal for cabin sites or agriculture. Transfer of land into private ownership as envisioned by the drafters of our state constitution is laudable, Mr. Steen stated, but as Governor Hammond said, it is the ultimate lock up. Private ownership denies public use of the specific parcel that frequently controls access to adjacent public lands, and a NIMBY attitude influences management of public lands within view of that parcel. This NIMBY attitude impacts the state's ability to manage timber resources, wildlife resources, and mining activities. Those who drafted the constitution didn't ever envision the population growth that Alaska has recently experienced. A forest designation for this entire area, even though it is not all productive timber land, will provide uniform management guidelines throughout the area. Multiple land designations lead to conflicting land use regulations. A forestry designation is the least controlling land use pattern possible and will afford future generations the greatest opportunity to experience Alaska. The forest designation can be modified in the future to accommodate changes in needs. Returning private land to public ownership is difficult, time consuming and cost prohibitive. In summary, Mr. Steen said, this is the last remaining large parcel of state land in Southcentral that can be set aside for public use and enjoyment. Effective management of timber resources enhances wildlife populations, creates an industry utilizing a renewable resource that improves the economic basis of the community while supporting the demand for recreational areas to hunt, trap, fish, snow machine, hike and otherwise enjoy the great out-of-doors. 3:50:55 PM CARL PORTMAN, Deputy Director, Resource Development Council (RDC), Anchorage, AK, supported SB 159. He said the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) currently manages 9.5 million acres of forest land in the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys. Of this land, timber management is allowed on approximately 2.1 million acres. The remaining land is designated for other uses including land sales, recreation, water uses and fish and wildlife habitat. Over 3.1 million acres is protected in legislatively designated state parks, refuges and public use areas. Establishment of the forest would insure that some land would remain available for long term forest management. It would allow the Division of Forestry to more actively manage the lands and vegetation to promote a variety of forest ages, which in turn would maximize the sustainable supply of timber from state timber base and provide for more diverse and healthy habitats for wildlife. In addition, active management would also help reduce wildfire risk. The Division of Forestry would manage the state forest for a long-term supply of timber to local processors and retain land in state ownership for other multiple uses. An enhanced long-term timber supply would help support the forest products industry, provide fuel for sustainable biomass energy projects and create new jobs. It would also benefit the recreational sector as the state intends to develop access to new state forests and encourage a broad range of multiple uses. Those multiple uses would include an annual timber harvest and provide important economic opportunities to local communities, businesses and residents. It is important to keep in mind, Mr. Portman said, that SB 159 would establish a new state forest from state lands presently designated for forest management. The Susitna State Forest would be managed consistent with the management intent under the current Susitna Matanuska and the Southeast Susitna area plan. Alaska's Forest Practices Act would also apply to management activities on the forest and is designed to protect both fish habitat and water quality. MR. PORTMAN summarized that RDC supports SB 159 and believes the proposed state forest will be of much benefit to the local economy creating and sustaining much needed jobs in the forest products industry while providing many other opportunities. 3:53:46 PM THOR STACY, Alaska Professional Hunters Association, Juneau, AK, supported SB 159. He said for an industry that relies on fore- sighted management practices for renewable resources on public land they see the advantages of the intent and the concept of this bill, specifically the potential for habitat improvement. And in general, they support the concept of renewable resource use and development in conservation on public lands. He said their members rely on this access for opportunity and viability. 3:55:22 PM MR. STACY said he hoped their "constructive concerns" could be worked out in the management plan for state forests as it has in the past. He asked for some ability to work access in terms of timing to hunting seasons with any kind of timber development or infrastructure that would be commercial in nature and outreach to members that use the game management unit in question, mostly Unit 16. The other concern his organization has was just the ability for there to be interagency communication in the subsets of DNR to make sure that hunting opportunities are retained along with other multiple uses. CO-CHAIR WAGONER asked him to tell the committee where he came from to testify. MR. STACY said he came from Juneau. CO-CHAIR WAGONER commented that he was from Wiseman, way up North. MR. STACY remarked that the forests up in that area are "pretty diminutive in stature." CO-CHAIR WAGONER found no further testimony and closed the public hearing. He set SB 159 aside. CO-CHAIR PASKVAN said Mr. Steen from Ruffed grouse Society was talking about adding some land to this forest and he wanted to know if Mr. Maisch had any comment on that. 3:57:48 PM CHRIS MAISCH, State Forester, and Director of the Division of Forestry, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Juneau, AK, responded that Mr. Steen was encouraging the size of the state forest to be increased because all the lands that were classified for forestry purposes under the area plan are proposed to be in the state forest. That area planning process had a lot of public input and interagency coordination and has identified other state lands for other purposes: habitat for wildlife, agricultural purposes, settlement, and a number of others. To acquire additional land for the state forest, the division would have to negotiate with other state agencies that have the lands designated in other ways for higher and better use. It wouldn't be impossible to make changes, but it has been already vetted strongly and this is the package they came up with. CO-CHAIR WAGONER said he would hold SB 159 in committee.