SRES - 2/27/95 HB 121 SALVAGE TIMBER SALES CHAIRMAN LEMAN brought up HB 121 as the next order of business before the Senate Resources Committee and called the first witness. Number 176 REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS, prime sponsor of HB 121, read the sponsor statement for HB 121 to the committee. CHAIRMAN LEMAN noted he does not intend to move HB 121 from committee at this time, and will take testimony for as long as possible today. The chairman called the next witness. Number 125 CARL PORTMAN, Resource Development Council (RDC), testifying from Anchorage, stated RDC supports harvesting damaged trees. Mr. Portman gives testimony favorable to HB 121. (Teleconference transmission is difficult to understand). Number 082 KATHY MILLER, testifying from Ketchikan, stated she is in favor of multiple use management of state lands. Ms. Miller gives testimony favorable to HB 121. She urges approval of HB 121. Number 055 DON GENTRY, General Manager, Atikon Forest Products, testifying from Ketchikan, stated he supports HB 121. Mr. Gentry gave a brief overview on forestry practices and emergency salvage operations. TAPE 95-17, SIDE A Number 001 MR. GENTRY continued his overview of forestry practices and emergency salvage operations. Mr. Gentry encourages support of HB 121. Number 045 CHRIS GATES, Executive Director, Alaska Forest Association, testifying from Ketchikan, stated the association supports HB 121. Mr. Gates asserted that since today's hearing began, about 500 trees have been lost to spruce bark beetle infestation. In 1994 about thirty-eight trees were lost every minute, on average. Alaska's infestation is the largest in the world. Mr. Gates thinks HJR 27 would simply allow harvesting of infested trees in a timely manner. Number 111 WINSLOW HOFFMAN, testifying from Homer, thinks Section 1 of HB 121 is the only part of the bill which is of any value. He suggested rewriting the bill so that it deals exclusively with salvage sales. He is a proponent of multiple use philosophy, and thinks spruce bark beetle infestations are part of the natural cycle of forests. SRES - 2/27/95 HB 121 SALVAGE TIMBER SALES CHAIRMAN LEMAN brought HB 121 up before the Senate Resources Committee once again. SENATOR TAYLOR made a motion to discharge HB 121 from committee with individual recommendations. CHAIRMAN LEMAN objected, since there were people who hadn't yet had a chance to testify on the bill. Senator Taylor did not have the votes to sustain his motion, so the motion was overruled. The chairman called the next witness. Number 263 JEFF WRALEY, testifying from Homer, stated he is opposed to HB 121 and urged legislators to oppose the bill too. He asserted it would benefit a special interest group: the logging industry. Mr. Wraley thinks HB 121 would hurt fisheries and tourism. Number 308 DORNE HAWXHURST, Cordova District Fishermen United (CDFU), testifying from Cordova, stated CDFU is strongly opposed to HB 121. She thinks it promotes timber harvesting as the state's highest resource development priority. CHAIRMAN LEMAN, after hearing complaints regarding how long people have had to wait to testify, informed listeners that committee members are still present and listening to testimony. He also informed listeners there is a full audience in the Juneau committee room, and some members of the Juneau audience have been waiting quite a long time to testify also. Number 331 RIKI OTT, United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA), testifying from Cordova, stated UFA is opposed to HB 121 because it allows timber harvesting priority over multiple-use on state lands. SENATOR FRANK asked Dr. Ott if she has a limited entry permit. DR. OTT responded she sold it last year. SENATOR FRANK confirmed that Dr. Ott recognizes limited entry permits are private property and can be bought and sold. Number 381 LOUIE BENCARDINO, testifying from Seward, stated he supports HB 121, but he feels there should be a value-added component in the bill. Several witnesses have mentioned they had to wait longer than expected to testify, and that some people have left teleconference sites without testifying because of the length of the hearing. CHAIRMAN LEMAN informed participants in the hearing that written testimony is always welcome, and can be faxed to 465-3810. RICK SMERIGLIO, testifying from Seward, stated he has lost trees on his property to beetles, but he is opposed to HB 121 because it exempts logging from AS 38.05.113 and 38.05.115. SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Smeriglio who he represents and by whom he is employed. MR. SMERIGLIO responded he is representing himself, and is a seasonal laborer who is currently unemployed. He added that many people in Seward had to leave the hearing due to the late hour, but in all fairness he must say that the majority of them favor HB 121. Number 475 DOUG HANSON, Inventory Forester, Tanana Chief's Conference (TCC), testifying from Fairbanks, stated TCC does not have a position on HB 121, but he would like to mention several concerns TCC has with the bill. Mr. Hanson suggested inserting wording which would specify "current insect infestation." He also thinks a flexible cap should be put on the volume or acreage allowed to be harvested. Number 497 SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Hanson if TCC has imposed similar restrictions on its' lands. MR. HANSON stated TCC has not done that. TCC does not own timbered land. SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Hanson if TCC has recommended to Doyon that Doyon adopt similar restrictions. MR. HANSON responded TCC has not made a similar recommendation to Doyon. SENATOR TAYLOR would like to hear Doyon's response to TCC's recommendation. MR. HANSON replied, in the conditions he has seen, there are generally warning signs which occur before an infestation. But he does not know if that is enough to warrant a salvage sale. Number 526 DANINE HARBUT, Executive Assistant, Fairbanks Industrial Development Corporation (FIDC), testifying from Fairbanks, stated HB 121 gives an opportunity to apply proper forest management techniques. FIDC supports HB 121. Number 540 DUANE ANDERSON, testifying from Soldotna, asserted HB 121 has been crafted with specific users in mind. Mr. Anderson gave testimony unfavorable to HB 121. TAPE 95-17, SIDE B MR. ANDERSON continued with his testimony, and insisted that the problems the timber industry was having in Senator Taylor's district were dissimilar from the problems on the Kenai Peninsula. Number 574 SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Anderson to call him the following day, and said he would be happy to talk to him about the issue. Number 565 INGRID PETERSON, Wild Tours, testifying from Soldotna, stated HB 121 is genocide for wildlife and Alaskans because wanton deforestation contributes to the ongoing planetary collapse. Ms. Peterson gave testimony unfavorable to HB 121. Number 542 ED DAVIS, Board Member, Alaska Wilderness, Recreation & Tourism Association, testifying from Valdez, thinks there are some loopholes in HB 121. He informed the committee that the number one complaint of tourists in the 1993 Alaska Visitor Association Survey was seeing clear-cuts. Mr. Davis stated he has faxed his comments to the committee. Number 505 SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Davis who his employer is. MR. DAVIS replied he is employed by VECO. CHAIRMAN LEMAN informed listeners that since the committee has not been able to take testimony from everyone who wished to give it, the bill will be held until Wednesday's committee meeting. The chairman stated the committee will finish by taking testimony from Juneau participants. Number 495 CHUCK ACHBERGER, Executive Director, Juneau Chamber of Commerce, stated the chamber supports HB 121. Mr. Achberger read a written statement submitted to the committee. Number 480 WAYNE NICOLLS, Legislative Liaison, Alaska Society of American Foresters, stated the society has a national membership of 20,000. Mr. Nicolls relayed his forestry experience to the committee. The Alaska Society of American Foresters supports HB 121 under its' general position on forest health. Number 438 SENATOR TAYLOR informed the committee he has known Mr. Nicolls for some time, and he has a great deal of integrity. Though he and Mr. Nicolls have frequently not agreed on issues, one thing they have always agreed upon is that stewardship is a primary responsibility of ownership. Number 432 CHAIRMAN LEMAN asked Mr. Nicolls, "We heard in previous testimony from Mr. Anderson several comments. One dealt with the issue of spruce bark beetle damaged or killed trees--don't burn as fast as green. Do you have any comments regarding that statement?" MR. NICOLLS replied, "It depends on the season. But, generally when trees die, it's like tinder for the first few years after that. Eventually they'll fall down and rot, and they aren't a fire hazard anymore. Number 423 SENATOR FRANK asked Mr. Nicolls how involved his society is in timber issues. MR. NICOLLS responded the society has position papers on most issues in the state, but does not have the funds to support its' positions. The society is interested in all the forest resources, not just timber. SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Nicolls the primary cause of the extensive forest fires in the continental United States last summer. MR. NICOLLS answered the primary causes were long dry spells and areas that were protected for a long time. In some areas bug- killed timber was a contributor. Number 384 SARA HANNAN, Alaska Environmental Lobby, stated HB 121 would subsidize exporters of chip wood and urged the committee not to subsidize the timber industry. She also urged the committee to change to bill to encompass dead trees only. Ms. Hannan submitted a written statement to the committee. Number 317 SENATOR TAYLOR asked Ms. Hannan if she knew the value that had been lost from the infestations. MS. HANNAN replied she does not know the size of the problem, but she thinks there are already tools in place to handle the problem. SENATOR TAYLOR asked Mr. Boutin if he could testify as to the exact magnitude of the problem. Number 290 TOM BOUTIN, Director, Division of Forestry, Department of Natural Resources, stated he knows of logging operations that range in size from one or two-person operations on up to 500-person operations. Mr. Boutin also informed the committee that smaller operations cost the state more money to administer. He thinks an accurate estimate of the board feet lost to insect infestation is about one billion board feet.