(a) Operations on forest land shall be reviewed under this section for consistency with the policies and provisions of this chapter and regulations adopted under this chapter.
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Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 41.17.090

  • action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • division: means the division of forestry and fire protection. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
  • 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
  • forest landowner: means a person who owns forest land, but does not include the owner of mineral or subsurface rights only. 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
  • operator: means a person who is engaged in timber harvesting or activities associated with timber harvesting or forest development, or who contracts with others to conduct operations for that person, except a person who is engaged in an operation as an employee with wages or piecework as the sole compensation. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
  • 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
  • timber owner: means a person who owns timber on forest land or who has the rights to timber, but does not own the land itself. See Alaska Statutes 41.17.950
(b) A forest landowner, timber owner, or operator may provide to the commissioner a voluntary plan of operations that describes the long-term plans for timber harvesting. The purpose of a voluntary plan is to give the division and the public an early opportunity to review plans, to identify areas of concern, and to allow the agencies and the public to provide local knowledge and early notice of potential problems to the forest landowner, timber owner, or operator.
(c) Before beginning operations on municipal or private forest land or on state land not managed by the division, the operator shall provide the state forester with a detailed plan of operations. The detailed plan of operations must include

(1) a description of the proposed operations, identifying the land involved and the action proposed in sufficient detail to inform the public of the nature and location of the proposed operations; the description must include a map and must be in a form suitable for duplication;
(2) the name, address, and approving signature of the forest landowner, timber owner, and operator; and
(3) other information required in the regulations adopted under this chapter.
(d) Within five days after receipt of a detailed plan of operations under (c) of this section, the state forester shall distribute the information received under (c) of this section to affected state agencies and coastal districts, and shall distribute the information received under (c)(1) of this section to each member of the public who has asked to receive copies of notifications for the affected area.
(e) Within 30 days after receipt of a detailed plan of operations, the state forester shall review the plan to determine if the operations are consistent with this chapter and regulations adopted under this chapter. Operations may begin under the plan upon the expiration of the 30-day period or upon notice from the state forester that the review has been completed, whichever occurs first, unless the division has issued a stop work order for a particular portion of the plan or has notified the operator that a one-time, 10-day extension is necessary for agency review under Alaska Stat. § 41.17.098(f). The operator may proceed with operations not covered by the stop work order, notice of field inspection, or the agency review. During the review of a detailed plan of operations, if a question arises concerning the proper classification of water body type for purposes of the standards in Alaska Stat. § 41.17.116(a), the Department of Fish and Game may resolve the question.
(f) If the state forester determines that a field inspection is necessary to determine consistency of the detailed plan of operations or a portion of the plan with applicable standards, the state forester shall notify the operator. The notice of field inspection may not cover more than the minimum area necessary to determine compliance with this chapter and applicable regulations. The operator shall inform the state forester when the site will be available for an inspection. The state forester shall conduct the field inspection within 21 days after the date that the site will be accessible and available unless the operator otherwise agrees, and the operator may begin operations at the conclusion of the 21-day period unless the state forester has issued a stop work order under Alaska Stat. § 41.17.138.
(g) During the review of a detailed plan of operations, modifications to accommodate comments may be made without requiring the operator to resubmit the plan. After the review of the detailed plan of operations made under (e) and (f) of this section, an operator shall notify the state forester of a proposed substantial change in operations by following the procedures specified in (c) – (f) of this section.
(h) Information and paperwork required of the operator under this section is limited to that necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section.
(i) An operator shall renew a detailed plan of operations annually.
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