Alaska Timber Jobs Task Force.

• Author: Gallion, Mari
• Position: INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS

The Alaska Timber Jobs Task Force released its report to Gov. Sean Parnell recommending steps to improve economic conditions in Alaska's forest-dependent communities. Key recommendations include placing up to 2 million acres of federal land in a trust managed by the state, and seeking federal legislation granting states the option of running timber sale programs on federal lands. A state-run program would operate under state forestry standards and state laws.

The report looked at the state of the timber industry throughout Alaska. The industry is small but growing in the Interior and Southcentral Alaska, largely due to a dependable supply from state-managed timberland, according to the report. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources and businesses are working together as woody biomass becomes a cost-effective heating and energy option in rural Alaska.

In Southeast Alaska, however, the downward spiral of lost jobs and closed schools has continued. Despite federal law requiring enough timber sales to meet demand, the Forest Service choked off the timber supply; two of the last three mid-sized mills have closed.

In the past decade, Southeast Alaska timber jobs declined from 1,500 to roughly 200, the region's population dropped 12 percent and six schools closed.

The task...