The state of Alaska is overhauling the long-term plans for its three state forests to boost revenue from a new source: carbon credits.
But in at least one instance, that could mean eliminating longstanding logging restrictions – a move that’s sparking pushback over a plan that some hoped would lead to more forest protections, not fewer.
The issue came to a head in August when state officials visited the Chilkat Valley to discuss the future of the Haines State Forest.
For more than two decades, the existing long-range plan has divided the forest into parcels based on use. In some spots, that means just timber. In others, wildlife habitat or recreation is primary, and timber harvest is restricted. Now, that’s poised to change.
“We’ve decided that the best way to create opportunity for carbon offset projects in the state forest is to use language that allows for timber harvest on all classification types of land,” said Geneva Preston, a forest planner with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, during a public meeting in the village of Klukwan.
Leaders and members of the Chilkat Indian Village raised a range of concerns in response. Those included how the decision was made, why the state hadn’t consulted the tribe yet — and what the move might mean for the nearly 300,000 acre forest, which sits on traditional lands.
“We’ve been here longer than anybody, and we don’t have any rights here. That’s what it feels like,” said David Strong Jr., a tribal council member. “I just want to know, when is the state going to recognize who we are as Native people, first peoples here?”
A push to make more money off state land
The state agency is updating the Haines State Forest’s long-range plan for two main reasons. For starters, the document was finalized in 2002 and needed to be updated.
But the effort is also part of a years-long push by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to make more money off state land. That includes a plan to increase timber sales in Alaska’s three state forests as well as selling so-called carbon credits.
The state would do so by leaving certain timber stands uncut that, at least in theory, could otherwise be harvested. Those uncut trees store carbon, generating credits. The state would then sell the credits to companies looking for ways to offset their planet-warming emissions.
In Haines, the idea goes that if the entire forest is open to timber harvest, then it’s also all eligible for carbon credits.
“The logic with that was that, if a section of forest is described as available for timber harvest and then is not harvested, that’s where the value for the carbon offset project becomes a possibility,” Preston, the state forest planner, said during the August meeting.
Dunleavy unveiled the plan in 2023, saying it could generate “millions, if not billions, of dollars” for the state.
But the push comes at a tumultuous time for so-called voluntary carbon markets. Those markets deal in carbon credits that companies choose – but aren’t required — to purchase to offset their carbon footprints. Voluntary markets surged in the early 2020’s as companies around the world set ambitious goals to eliminate or offset their entire carbon footprints by 2030. But it wasn’t long before the market took a major downturn. The market’s value tanked by nearly 30% in 2024 amid intensifying scrutiny of carbon projects.
Critics say many projects allow companies to burnish their climate reputations without actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“We’re definitely in a little bit of a slump right now in terms of the voluntary carbon markets,” said Trevor Fulton, who manages Alaska’s Carbon Offset Program. “It’s been a slow recovery.”
But he says the state anticipates higher demand as companies scramble to make good on their climate targets. That, he thinks, makes now a good time to get involved.
Concerns over logging, public process
The state’s plan for the Haines State Forest sparked widespread concern during meetings in Klukwan and Haines.
Members, leaders and staff of the Chilkat Indian Village raised alarms about the prospect of opening the entire forest to logging.
“Trees are environmental solutions that help meet water quality standards by reducing soil erosion and polluted storm water runoff,” said Jones P. Hotch Jr., the tribe’s president. “And trees are an economic solution. They reduce flooding and runoff for less money than engineering solutions.”
Others said the tribe has not been adequately included in the planning process.
Multiple speakers said the tribe had requested a private, government-to-government meeting with the state to discuss the management plan. The Department of Natural Resources scheduled three public meetings instead.
“We have concerns about the current plans for the different areas that may be up for logging,” said Chilkat Indian Village Vice President Kimberley Strong. “We are also concerned about what kind of guardrails are being taken off for public comment and public scoping.”
State officials say revamping the state forest’s long-range plan is in its early stages. The new version hasn’t been fully drafted or released. Once it is, the public will have a chance to weigh in.
“There will be a plan to react to. But right now getting input so that we can write the plan,” Ashley List, a deputy director within the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, said during the meeting.
They also say that, while some current logging restrictions would be removed, all future timber harvests would still have to meet other existing guidelines and protections.
Preston, the forest manager, said the intention is not to clear cut the entire forest. Instead, it’s to explore how the state could sustainably pursue both timber sales and other goals, like preserving wildlife habitat, in the same areas.
“I can only imagine how startling it would be to read a description of a change in policy that would allow timber harvest in places where it’s been prohibited in the past,” Preston said. “There’s no intention to see timber harvest everywhere at once.”
The update in Haines is just one step in an already two-year-long process – which could take years longer, said Fulton.
The first step is updating each state forest’s management plan. In May, the state finalized a new plan for the Tanana Valley State Forest in Interior Alaska. Haines’ plan is in progress.
Next on the list: the Southeast State Forest, which spans several islands including Wrangell and Prince of Wales.
