Documents obtained by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, show a contract between the state Division of Forestry and the Alaska Forest Association worth up to $1.3 million, or $260,000 a year, for a span of five years.
Olivia Glasscock, an associate attorney with Earthjustice:““I think it really just highlights the imbalance in how the public is getting to participate in these planning and management processes and how the industry is getting to participate in it.”
Larry Edwards of Alaska Rainforest Defenders adds: “Even though many people rely on the area slated for logging on Prince of Wales for a variety of livelihoods and recreation, the Forest Service approved this mammoth timber sale without giving the public basic information about where it intends to log.”
The Alaska Division of Forestry says that’s not the case, saying in an e-mailed statement: “The partnership implements the training and information exchange through training cadres made up of agency, industry, and other partners having the appropriate expertise.”
Prince of Wales Island could be the location of the largest federal timber sale in Alaska in more than a decade. But the plans are being litigated in federal District Court.
The plaintiffs, including Earthjustice, say the Forest Service hasn’t provided a detailed map of the areas that could be logged, which makes it impossible for the public to weigh in on the environmental impact.
Larry Edwards of Alaska Rainforest Defenders adds: “Even though many people rely on the area slated for logging on Prince of Wales for a variety of livelihoods and recreation, the Forest Service approved this mammoth timber sale without giving the public basic information about where it intends to log.”
Earthjustice says it would like the Forest Service to end this grant immediately.
