Wrangell timber sale to be scaled back, decision expected next week

WRANGELL — A final decision on the Wrangell Island timber sale is expected out next week, wrapping up years of deliberation and planning.

Citing objections to the economics and ecological impacts of its preferred plan, the United States Forest Service has indicated it will be reducing total harvest for the proposed sale on Wrangell Island to around 428 acres, or 5- to 7-million board feet (mmbf) of timber. These would be sold piecemeal over the course of several years.

Of five alternatives put forward, Alternative 2 had proposed around 55.8 mmbf available, primarily for sawtimber. Over several...