The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection is establishing a new Susitna Valley Forest management plan. This plan is created to replace the Susitna Forestry guidelines created in 1991. The 1991 guidelines, being over 30 years old, are outdated and do not reflect the current management objectives. The intent of replacing these guidelines is to bolster local economies by creating incentives for timber harvesting while maintaining multi-use forests. The Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry plans to work with communities to better encompass guidelines that reflect local priorities while also generating revenue for the private and public sector.
This area includes 772,416 acres with a total of 488,735 acres of land greater than a 10 percent tree coverage The Susitna-Matanuska Valley timber type is primarily composed of white spruce-birch stands, paper birch and black spruce stands also make up a significant portion of the area. Other species found include aspen and balsam poplar, which are mixed throughout different stands. Cottonwood, alder and willow can be found in riparian zones. Most of this land is away from population centers and elevation, generally, is under 1000’. The timber stands show uniformity in age, with an average of approximately 120 years. There is a lack of advanced regeneration. This age distribution and regeneration pattern indicates that the area likely underwent a major disturbance, possibly a significant fire, around 1890.
Other than forestry land use, the area also boasts mineral rich resources that have been mined for decades. Rivers and lakes make great opportunities for recreation such as hunting, fishing, rafting, hiking and camping in these areas.
There is abundant fish and wildlife throughout the area including moose, bear, bald eagle, perigon falcon, salmon, trout, and many other species found. The forest management process will consider these factors and work to mitigate encroachment and enhance wildlife habitat.
- Replace 1991 Susitna Valley Forestry Guidelines and develop a forest management plan for the forest classified land of the MatSu valley.
- Coordinate proposals with local communities.
- Create incentive for economically viable timber harvesting and forest management.
- Maintain public cooperation through education and a proactive approach to creating new guidelines.
- Maintain multi-use forests while also generating revenue for the private and public sector.
- Ease requirements for personal use and firewood harvesting.
- 1991 Plan Susitna_Forestry_Guidelines.pdf (alaska.gov)
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Planning Process
- Identify Issues: In some cases, an amendment occurs in response to an administrative directive, either from the Governor or the DNR Commissioner. Other times, DOF draws on the experience of the Mat-Su/SW Area Forester or Regional Forester, local expertise, and public insight to identify ways that a current plan is not able to effectively guide management decision-making for forest classified lands. In this case, DOF has been directed by the Commissioner of DNR to replace the 1991 Susitna Forestry Guidelines with an updated Forest Management Plan.
- Determine necessary level of revision: Based on the proposed changes to the plan document, DOF decides whether an amendment, minor change, or special exception is the best process for capturing those changes. An amendment is an edit that “permanently changes the forest management plan by adding to or modifying the basic management intent for one or more of the units or subunits, by changing allowed or prohibited uses, guidelines, or policies” (MatSu Management Plan,1991). Due to the insertion of language describing Carbon Offset Projects, the current process is an amendment.
- Announce amendment intentions with the public.
- Prepare draft plan: Create a draft plan that reflects resource values, as well as public and DOF goals. DOF and other agencies review the first draft and settle any land use conflicts that remain or propose the best alternatives for public review.
- Adjust plan content based on agency comments.
- Public review of draft plan: The draft plan is released for public review. Public meetings are held to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the draft plan and to identify parts that need to be changed. Public review drafts are open for comment for at least 30 days.
- Prepare issue response summary: Agency and public comments are reviewed, and the draft plan is revised as necessary. The final plan and Issue Response Summary are prepared for public review.
- Prepare the plan for publication: Review agency and public comments and revise the plan.
- Approve plan: The Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources approves and signs the plan.
- Implement plan: The plan guides management decisions for lands within the Susitna Forest Resource Management Area.
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Public Meetings
The purpose of this meeting is to scope public sentiment to areas included in the new forest management plan. By getting public involvement and comments we can gauge how to meet the needs of the public while also increasing levels of management for the area. - Survey
Interactive map
View the map below of the Susitna-Matanuska Valley Forest classified land.
This map displays active forest roads, unit and subunit boundaries, and land classifications.
An edit option allows users to mark locations and add text comments to those points.
This tutorial
describes how users can add information to the interactive map.
Recordings of public meetings held during the planning process will be posted here as meetings occur. A schedule of past and upcoming meetings can be found in the How You Can Participate section of this website.
Scoping Informational Meeting (December 11, 2024)
View the meeting
Transcript
A carbon offset credit is a financial instrument representing a reduction or removal of one metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. These credits are used by companies or other entities to compensate for their own carbon emissions by investing in environmental projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gasses.
A carbon offset project is designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or capture and store carbon from the atmosphere to compensate for emissions made elsewhere.
These projects help businesses, governments, and other entities achieve carbon neutrality or reduced carbon footprints through the purchase of carbon offsets.
Examples of carbon offset projects:
Forestry and Land Use Projects:
These include reforestation, afforestation (planting trees where there were none before), improved forest management, and conservation projects.
Trees naturally absorb and sequester CO2 from the atmosphere, making them an effective basis for carbon offset projects.
Methane Capture Projects:
These projects prevent methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from entering the atmosphere.
Common sources include landfills, agricultural operations (like livestock), and wastewater treatment facilities.
Energy Efficiency Projects:
Improving energy efficiency in buildings, manufacturing, and transportation can significantly reduce emissions.
Projects might involve upgrading equipment, improving building insulation, or enhancing industrial processes to use less energy.
State Forests (AS 41.17) are a specific designation of state land for forest management, focused on sustainable timber and forest resource use. State Forest Classified Lands (AS 38.05) are lands that have been classified under Alaska's land classification process, which may include forest management as one of the uses, but could also include other management objectives depending on the classification.
Firewood cutting permits are available online on state land for the following areas of the state: Fairbanks, Tok, Glennallen, Haines, Mat-Su, and Kenai.
To obtain a firewood cutting permit, visit: https://dnr.alaska.gov/FPS
Regular Firewood Permits - Permits may also be obtained from DOF area offices. Any individual gathering firewood on State land should consult maps and personnel at their local DOF office to ensure they remain on State land. Property lines are frequently unmarked and any permission obtained from DOF to gather firewood is only valid on State land. Harvesting firewood without the landowner's permission is trespass.
For information specific to the area you live in, contact your local forestry office.
State timber sales are initially offered in a competitive bid auction. Timber sales that were offered in an auction and not sold are then made available "over the counter" meaning that they are available to be purchased at the minimum bid price.
Currently offered timber sales in the Mat-Su can be found on this page: https://forestry.alaska.gov/timber/matsu. For areas outside of the Mat-Su, the offerings can be found here: https://forestry.alaska.gov/timber/contracts.
Five Year Schedule of Timber Sales (https://forestry.alaska.gov/timber/fiveyearschedules)
Each of the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection's area offices prepares a Five-Year Schedule of Timber Sales every other year. The Schedules give the public, timber industry, and other agencies an overview of the division's plans for timber sales. They summarize information on proposed timber harvest areas, timber sale access, and reforestation plans.
Before a timber sale can be offered, the Division prepares a Best Interest Findings and Forest Land Use Plan. A Best Interest Finding addresses 1) "…the facts pertaining to the land, resources, or property, or interest in them, that the director finds are material to the determination and that are known to the director [or their delegates]…", 2) applicable statutes and regulations, and 3) establishes which action the State determines to be in the best interest of the State.
The Forest Land Use Plan presents detailed information on the location, access, harvest methods, duration, and proposed reforestation for each sale. They must follow the principles of multiple use and sustained yield and consider non-timber uses and resources within the sale area.
Best Interest Findings and Forest Land Use Plans can be found here: https://forestry.alaska.gov/decisiondocs
More information about the timber sale process can be found here https://forestry.alaska.gov/timber/index
Contact your local Area office with any questions you may have about timber sales or the timber sale planning process.
The term "working forest" refers to forestland that is actively managed for a variety of human purposes.
Unlike natural forests, working forests are managed to include sustainable timber harvesting and the production of other forest products.
Additionally, these forests are actively managed to support ecological goals, such as wildlife habitat, biodiversity conservation, soil health, and water quality.
Working forests also serve as multi-use lands, providing opportunities for recreation, including hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting. They aim to generate economic
and social benefits by supporting industries like timber, while also offering opportunities for subsistence use and outdoor activities.
The goal of managing a working forest is to achieve long-term sustainability, ensuring that it continues to provide resources and services for future generations.
AS Sec 41.17.950 (8)
1. The management of all the various resources of forest land so that they are used in the combination that will best meet the needs of the citizens of Alaska,
making the most judicious use of the land for some or all of these resources or related values, benefits, and services over areas large enough to provide sufficient
latitude for periodic adjustment in use to conform to changing needs and conditions;
2. That some land will be used for less than all of the resources; and
3. Harmonious and coordinated management of the various resources, each with the other, without significant impairment of the productivity of the land and water,
with consideration being given to the relative values of the various resources, and not necessarily the combination of uses.
AS Sec. 41.17.950. (17) The achievement and maintenance in perpetuity of a high level annual or regular periodic output of the variable renewable resources of forest land
and water without significant impairment of the productivity of the land and water but does not require that timber be harvested in a non-declining yield basis over a rotation period.
AS Sec. 38.04.065. Land use planning and classification. (b) In the adoption and revision of regional and site-specific land use plans, the commissioner shall
(1) use and observe the principles of multiple use and sustained yield;
AS Sec. 41.17.060. Regulatory and administrative standards.
(c) With respect to state and municipal forest land only, the following standards also apply:
(1) forest land shall be administered for the multiple use of the renewable and nonrenewable resources and for the sustained yield of the renewable resources of the land in the
manner that best provides for the present needs and preserves the future options of the people of the state;
(2) a system of allocating predominant uses or values to particular units within a contiguous area of land shall reflect in reasonable proportion the various resources and values
present in that area;
(3) to the extent its capacity permits, forest land shall be administered so as to provide for the continuation of businesses, activities, and lifestyles that are dependent upon
or derived from forest resources;
(4) timber harvesting is limited to areas where data and information demonstrate that natural or artificial reforestation techniques will result in the production of a sustained
yield of merchantable timber from that area;
(5) there may not be significant impairment of the productivity of the land and water with respect to renewable resources;
(6) allowance shall be made for scenic quality in or adjacent to areas of substantial importance to the tourism and recreation industry; and
(7) allowance shall be made for important fish and wildlife habitat.
Trevor Dobell-Carlsson
Forest Planner and Federal
Programs Manager
Alaska DNR | Division of
Forestry & Fire Protection
500 W 7th Ave. Ste 1450
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 269-8667
Stephen Nickel
Matsu Valley Resource
Forester
Alaska DNR | Division of
Forestry & Fire Protection
101 airport road
Palmer, AK 99827
(907) 761-6301
Lane Rasmussen
Forest Planner
Alaska DNR | Division of
Forestry & Fire Protection
500 W 7th Ave. Ste 1450
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 269-6584