(a) Unless otherwise specified, this chapter applies to forest land under state, municipal, or private ownership.
Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 41.17.900
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
operations: means timber harvesting or activates associated with timber harvesting or forest development unless exempted under Alaska Stat. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
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
(b) For federal land,
(1) the degree of resource protection may not be less than that established by this chapter for state land except that Alaska Stat. § 41.17.119 establishes the minimum riparian standard;(2) a timber harvest activity subject to this chapter shall satisfy the requirement to be consistent to the maximum extent practicable with the Alaska coastal zone management program if the federal land management plans, guidelines, and standards applicable to that timber harvest activity provide no less resource protection than the standards that are established in this chapter provide for state land except that
(A)Alaska Stat. § 41.17.119 establishes the minimum riparian standards; and(B) this paragraph does not apply to a timber harvest activity that requires a state or federal authorization under a provision of law other than this chapter.(c) The commissioner shall exempt by regulation from the provisions of this chapter
(1) minor, small scale, or incidental commercial operations of little significance with respect to the purposes of this chapter; and(2) operations for primarily noncommercial purposes, including but not limited to the harvesting of timber for personal use.(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the commissioner may not employ the authority vested by this chapter so as to duplicate or preempt the statutory authority of other state agencies to adopt regulations or undertake other administrative actions governing resources, values, or activities on forest land except for regulations, if authorized by the commissioner of environmental conservation, relating to control of nonpoint source pollution.(e)[Repealed, Sec. 18 ch 31 SLA 2005.](f) This chapter does not diminish the rights, privileges, or immunities of Alaska Natives or Alaska Native corporations with respect to land conveyed under 43 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq. (Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act), and does not alter or diminish the authority of the Department of Fish and Game under Alaska Stat. Title 16, of the Department of Environmental Conservation under Alaska Stat. Title 46, or of a state agency under other law.
