The U.S. Forest Service has released the final Record of Decision for a logging project just east of Ketchikan. The agency announced Friday they will be moving forward with the South Revilla Integrated Resource Project, a plan that includes the harvest of up to 83 million board feet of timber.
The project site surrounds Carroll Inlet and is around 41,000 acres in total. The action includes the harvest of over 4,000 acres of old-growth over the next 15 years. It also includes construction of new trails, cabins, boat launches and 11 miles of National Forest System roads. It’s expected to provide up to 364 jobs.
The department published the final environmental impact statement in the Federal Register in January. During the 45 day objection period, over 120 objections were received. Only three of those met regulatory requirements and received formal responses.
The South Revilla project was introduced almost a decade ago under the first Trump administration. The plans were put on pause a few years later. Now, under new executive orders, the Department of Agriculture is increasing timber production. Forest Service staff have said that the previous planning on the South Revilla project has made it easier to pick up where they left off a little over five years ago.
The decision aims to move away from previously adopted Scenic Integrity Objectives, a federal rating system used as a guideline for how much a landscape can be aesthetically altered. The Record of Decision states that they are moving from “moderate” levels of visual preservation to “very low,” which means the appearance of the landscape may be significantly altered. The decision states this will allow for more flexible logging practices — including a move towards more young growth harvest.
The Record of Decision states that work on the project can begin immediately. Acting Forest Supervisor for the Tongass Janelle Crocker signed the decision last week.
