HB 162-SOUTHEAST STATE FOREST                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:36:16 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR   WIELECHOWSKI   announced  HB   162   to   be  up   for                                                               
consideration. It  would establish  a new Southeast  State Forest                                                               
on about  25,000 acres of  state lands presently used  for timber                                                               
harvest. The establishment  of a forest will  enable the Division                                                               
of  Forestry to  manage these  lands for  a long  term supply  of                                                               
timber  for local  processors.  Lands in  the  forest would  also                                                               
continue  to  be open  for  multiple  uses.  He said  they  heard                                                               
resounding public support for this bill on Monday.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
He said there were two  small conceptual amendments to change the                                                               
date on  page 6, line 9,  from July 1,  2009 to July 1,  2010 and                                                               
the second would be  to make the same change to  line 11. He said                                                               
the change was  previously made, but to the wrong  version of the                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:37:37 PM                                                                                                                    
CHRIS  MAISCH, State  Forester, Department  of Natural  Resources                                                               
(DNR) agreed that those two changes needed to be made.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  HUGGINS  remembered the  when  they  did the  University                                                               
lands bill  and suddenly a lot  of communities came out  and said                                                               
they  had  never  heard  of  it  before.  Would  they  hear  from                                                               
communities  that they  were surprise  by this  or have  concerns                                                               
that they weren't able to voice.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. MAISCH  replied no;  they spent  a lot  of time  in Southeast                                                               
Alaska and this bill had wide support.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI  moved conceptual  Amendment 1.  There were                                                               
no objections and it was adopted.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEDMAN joined the committee.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:39:31 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR FRENCH moved  to report HB 162 as  amended from committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and attached  fiscal  note(s).                                                               
There being no  objection, SCS HB 162(RES) moved  from the Senate                                                               
Resources Standing Committee.