U.S. Forest Service award of Orion North timber sale benefits Ketchikan economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the U.S. Forest Service’s award of the Orion North timber sale in the Tongass National Forest to Pacific Log and Lumber.
“This sale will help support the struggling Southeast timber industry, which depends on responsible access to the Tongass for survival,” Murkowski said.
The Orion North sale will produce approximately 3.8 million board feet of timber from 381 acres on Revillagigedo Island near Ketchikan. Roughly two miles of roads will be constructed to facilitate the harvest of timber for the sale.
In May, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced he would personally review and approve all timber sales in roadless areas in national forests.
“Given the existing court-approved settlement agreement between the state and the Forest Service on roadless areas in the Tongass, I would have been extremely concerned if Secretary Vilsack had blocked this timber sale” Murkowski said. “Instead, I am heartened that the secretary has recognized the importance of maintaining an environmentally sound timber industry in Southeast Alaska.”
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