"Tongass"

Petersburg’s borough assembly Monday voted down a resolution calling for a forensic audit of two Tongass National Forest timber sales. Back in May, the assembly also voted against sending a letter on lost revenue from the sales and the impact to Petersburg.

 In January, the two groups got together — in meetings moderated by the forest service — to hatch a plan to keep the hunting guides and small cruise ships from overlapping.

The fire doesn’t pose a significant threat, but it is unusually large for the rainforest and Southeast Alaska.

Regional Forester Beth Pendleton will retire in April after eight years in the position.

“We’ve seen 8,000 positions across the agency that we have essentially shifted from either providing services, forest management (or) recreation management to fire suppression,” said U.S. Forest Service Associate Deputy Chief Chris French.

The state just sold timber from its Southeast Alaska forest to the region’s largest mill. It’s part of a multi-agency effort to keep the area’s logging industry alive. But some say it’s time to let it go.

Southeast Alaska saw some major trends and events in 2017. They ranged from cruise ship passenger increases to budget decreases to labor battles to murder investigations.

The state is again trying to overturn the U.S. Forest Service’s roadless rule. Officials appealed a court decision that threw out an earlier state challenge.

A fungus that’s damaged trees in Southcentral and Interior Alaska has been discovered in Southeast. But there’s a chance its spread could be stopped.

A Washington, D.C., environmental group is accusing the Tongass National Forest of breaking its own timber-sale rules.