The U.S. Forest Service has released a draft environmental impact statement for a timber sale on Prince of Wales Island. It’s one of the biggest old growth logging projects Southeast Alaska has seen in years.
It’s called the Twin Mountain II project. It’s expected to provide over 28 million board feet of timber from over 1,500 acres.
The plan also includes temporary road construction and fixing up existing roads to better access the timber. The project comprises two separate areas – the Red Bay area on the north end of the island, and the Staney area west of Thorne Bay.
Paul Robbins, the public information officer for the Tongass, says the Twin Mountain II project combines two previous plans: the Twin Mountain Timber Sale and the Staney Cone Helicopter Timber Sale. Robbins said that by combining two sales, the economics of the helicopter project are significantly improved.
Environmentalists blocked the Twin Mountain sale in 2019 before the feds revived it a year later under the Trump administration.
Under the Obama and Biden administrations, the Forest Service followed plans that focused on harvesting young growth and moving away from old-growth logging. Last year, President Trump signed an executive order to increase timber production.
Prince of Wales Island is home to one of the last sawmills in the state, and it’s one of the biggest employers on the island. The Forest Service estimates the timber sale will support over 100 jobs.
But tribal groups on the island have already pushed back on the sale, saying it will threaten rights to healthy salmon runs and clean water.
State law requires the Forest Service to hold a subsistence hearing, which is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The public comment period went live last Friday and will continue until June 8th. Feedback will be used for the final environmental impact statement, which is expected in July.
