State Board of Forestry Meeting

*March 23 & 24 (TELECONFERENCE AVAILABLE)

JUNEAU – BOARD of FORESTRY will meet in Juneau and by teleconference to DISCUSS STATEWIDE FORESTRY ISSUES and participate in a FOREST FISHERIES FORUM from 8:30am to 12:15pm on Monday, and from 8am to 4:30pm.on Tuesday. The forest fisheries forum will be held from 1:30 to 5pm on Monday. The forum is being organized by board members and other stakeholders including the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership. Speakers will address interactions between forestry and fisheries management and will discuss upcoming forestry-fisheries issues and opportunities to cooperate on management and research. Topics for the regular board meeting will include: • Proposed Fiscal Year 2016 forestry, forest practices, and monitoring budgets, • Proposed 2015 legislation related to forestry; • Reforestation standards review process for Interior and Southcentral Alaska; • State consideration of assumption of authority for Section 404 wetlands program; • Wood energy in Alaska and state timber sales for wood energy projects; • Southeast State Forest Management Plan; • Federal forest management in Alaska including reports on national forest planning, Roadless Rule implementation, Southeast land ownership initiatives, and The Working Forest Group; • Annual forest practices compliance and effectiveness monitoring reports; • Annual reports from the departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Conservation, and Fish and Game; • Annual Board of Forestry report to the Governor regarding Forest Resources and Practices Act effectiveness; • Overview of Kodiak Island timber operations; • Petition to list Alaska yellow-cedar under the Endangered Species Act; • Overview of Alaska Forest Resources and Practices Act (FRPA) history; • Overview of the FRPA Detailed Plan of Operation process, and • Division of Forestry program updates. Both events will be in the 2nd floor conference room of the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, at 410 Willoughby Ave. Public comment is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24 at 1:30pm. Teleconference sites will be available in Anchorage in the Division of Forestry conference room located in Suite 1450 of the Atwood Building, and Fairbanks in the medium-size conference room of the DNR office located, 3700 Airport Way. Anyone outside of Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau who would like to participate in the teleconference should contact Marty Freeman at the Div. of Forestry at marty.freeman@alaska.gov or call her at 269-8467 no later than noon March 18.