Forest Service Cuts Back Costly Wrangell Island Timber Sale

The Forest Service is downsizing the latest old-growth clearcut on the Tongass National Forest in response to market realities. The Wrangell Island timber sale is being reduced from 56 million board feet to 5-7 million board feet (4,800 acres to 428 acres), to be sold in small amounts over several years.

Patrick Lavin, Alaska representative for Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement:

“Selling timber from the country’s largest national forest has long been a money-losing endeavor heavily subsidized by taxpayers, as well as causing severe damage to the Tongass’s old growth forest and its wildlife. The fact that most of the original Wrangell sale would have lost money again illustrates the largely uneconomic nature of the Tongass timber industry.

“While the effort to reduce the project size and benefit the local community is welcome, Defenders of Wildlife hopes the Forest Service can begin to avoid the substantial expenses associated with developing unrealistic old growth logging proposals that are unlikely to pencil out.

“Further, Defenders of Wildlife calls upon the Forest Service to follow its own expert recommendations and expand the Old-Growth Habitat Reserves on Wrangell Island to meet minimum criteria, and to follow its own wolf management recommendations on Wrangell Island, which it has not yet done.”