(a) All regulations, administrative actions, and other activities and duties undertaken under this chapter shall be in full accordance with the standards set out in this section.

Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 41.17.060

  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • forest land: means land stocked or having been stocked with forest trees of any size and not currently developed for nonforest use, regardless of whether presently available or accessible for commercial purposes, and includes any such land under state, municipal, or private ownership. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
  • forest landowner: means a person who owns forest land, but does not include the owner of mineral or subsurface rights only. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
  • multiple use: means
    (A) the management of all the various resources of forest land so that they are used in the combination that will best meet the needs of the citizens of the state, making the most judicious use of the land for some or all of these resources or related values, benefits, and services over areas large enough to provide sufficient latitude for periodic adjustments in use to conform to changing needs and conditions. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
  • operator: means a person who is engaged in timber harvesting or activities associated with timber harvesting or forest development, or who contracts with others to conduct operations for that person, except a person who is engaged in an operation as an employee with wages or piecework as the sole compensation. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
  • significant impairment of the productivity of the land and water: means an activity that may foreseeably result in prolonged or substantial damage to renewable resources or prolonged or substantial reduction of the continuing capability of the land or water to produce renewable resources at their natural or historic levels. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
  • state: means the State of Alaska unless applied to the different parts of the United States and in the latter case it includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • sustained yield: means the achievement and maintenance in perpetuity of a high level annual or regular periodic output of the various renewable resources of forest land and water without significant impairment of the productivity of the land and water, but does not require that timber be harvested in a non-declining yield basis over a rotation period. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
  • timber owner: means a person who owns timber on forest land or who has the rights to timber, but does not own the land itself. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
(b) With respect to state, municipal, and private forest land, the following standards apply:

(1) to the maximum extent possible, all applicable data and information of applicable disciplines shall be updated and used in making decisions relative to the management of forest resources;
(2) environmentally sensitive areas shall be recognized in the development of regulations and best management practices that are designed to implement nonpoint source pollution control measures authorized under this chapter;
(3) administration of forest land shall consider marketing conditions and other economic constraints affecting the forest landowner, timber owner, or the operator;
(4) to the fullest extent practicable, harvested forest land shall be reforested, naturally or artificially, so as to result in a sustained yield of merchantable timber from that land; if artificial planting is required, silviculturally acceptable seedlings must first be available for planting at an economically fair price in the state; and
(5) significant adverse effects of soil erosion and mass wasting on water quality and fish habitat shall be prevented or minimized.
(c) With respect to state and municipal forest land only, the following standards also apply:

(1) forest land shall be administered for the multiple use of the renewable and nonrenewable resources and for the sustained yield of the renewable resources of the land in the manner that best provides for the present needs and preserves the future options of the people of the state;
(2) a system of allocating predominant uses or values to particular units within a contiguous area of land shall reflect in reasonable proportion the various resources and values present in that area;
(3) to the extent its capacity permits, forest land shall be administered so as to provide for the continuation of businesses, activities, and lifestyles that are dependent upon or derived from forest resources;
(4) timber harvesting is limited to areas where data and information demonstrate that natural or artificial reforestation techniques will result in the production of a sustained yield of merchantable timber from that area;
(5) there may not be significant impairment of the productivity of the land and water with respect to renewable resources;
(6) allowance shall be made for scenic quality in or adjacent to areas of substantial importance to the tourism and recreation industry; and
(7) allowance shall be made for important fish and wildlife habitat.
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