Phil Janik: a new voice for the forest.

• Author: Swagel, Will
• Position: Alaska Regional Forester

"Land stewardship is non-negotiable. It is the baseline that assures sustainability of all forest resources over time."

This was the first of seven "expectations" Alaska Regional Forester Phil Janik put before his Region 10 employees when he took over the post June 1.

"The conservation ethic is our standard," read the last expectation, "achieved through ecosystem management, use of sound science and responsiveness to the public."

In this case, ecosystem management means considering the effects of logging, or other activities in the forest, on a broader plane, both in time and area considered, than in the past.

Janik, the assistant director of Wildlife, Fisheries and Rare Plants at the Forest Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., previously served as director of Wildlife, Fisheries and Subsistence in Alaska from 1983 to 1989.

Janik says, "Across the country we're being asked to really take a hard look at all of our responsibilities, both in terms of commodity production for dependent industries as well as...