Revamped law.

• Position: Forest Practices Act - Alaska Business Briefs: Timber Industry

Revamped Law Revamped Law. Legislation revising the 12-year-old Forest Practices Act includes requirements to protect fish habitat and other non-timber resources on state, municipal, university and private lands. Mandatory buffer strips around waters considered sensitive for fish impact became effective when Gov. Steve Cowper signed the bill.

A multi-interest group had been appointed by the governor in late 1988 to propose revisions to the act. Bob Loiselle, executive director of the Forest Alliance, heralded the legislation, which incorporated the group's recommendations, as an example of achieving a balance among fishing, environmental and timber industry interests.

Buffer requirements vary. For high-value fish streams and rivers, operators on private lands are required to leave buffers 66 feet wide. One hundred foot buffers are...