(SitNews) Wrangell, Alaska - The draft Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Wrangell Island Project were recently released for public review.  The scope of the project is to develop/implement a multi-year project involving a variety of timber harvests and road construction.

Earl Stewart, Forest Supervisor for the Tongass National Forest, selected Alternative 2 in the draft ROD. The Selected Alternative would harvest about 56 million board feet of timber with associated road construction. The Selected Alterative includes public access management which was developed in cooperation with the public and City and Borough of Wrangell. The Selected Alternative also provides public access for subsistence firewood collection.

“The Wrangell Island Project will help meet the need to provide a reliable, economic supply of saw timber and other wood products to industry during the transition from old-growth-based harvest to young-growth timber harvest and will support jobs,” said Earl Stewart. “The project will strike a balance between timber harvest volume and economics and environmental protections including wildlife and scenery.”

Quoting information provided on the Wrangell Island Project's website, comments, including anonymous comments, will be accepted at any time. However, comments posted after the close of a designated comment period may not be able to be given full consideration. Anonymous comments and comments submitted after the close of the final designated comment period will not provide the commenter standing for administrative review.

The 45-day pre-decisional objection period ends August 28, 2017.

Submit Comments To:

Andrea Slusser
Wrangell Ranger District
525 Bennett Street
P.O. Box 51
Wrangell, AK 99929-0051
andreamslusser@fs.fed.us

On the Web:

Project Information
https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=34831 

or contact District Ranger Bob Dalrymple, Wrangell Ranger District, at 907-874-2323.

Editing by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

US Forest Service - Tongass National Forest
www.fs.fed.gov

 

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