Projects Water & Natural Resources Timber Sales Assessment Project, AK
| Timber Sales Assessment Project, AK |
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TtEC was contracted by the Forest Service to conduct extensive environmental studies related to timber sales in southeast Alaska. The Control Lake environmental impact statement (EIS) dealt with one of the largest and most controversial timber sales ever proposed, assessing the environmental impact of harvesting 335 harvest units over 170,000 acres on Prince of Wales Island. Tetra Tech worked with resource specialists, logging engineers, and Forest Service staff to compile existing GIS data layers into a comprehensive GIS database. Initially, the GIS database was used to define timber harvest units and direct field teams to specific harvest units to conduct wildlife surveys and verify timber stand descriptions. We conducted unit-specific field surveys for various land and water wildlife, stream stability, soil stability, caves, cultural resources, subsistence, and visual impacts. All field data was entered into the GIS database and used to prescribe silviculture treatments, including ecosystem management plans and stream buffers, layout of approximately 230 miles of road and logging engineering design for all harvest units. TtEC then used GIS to determine the total area and degree of fragmentation of wildlife habitat that would result from each alternative for harvests. In addition, visual impacts of selected harvest alternatives were modeled using GIS procedures developed specifically for this purpose by TtEC.
Similar to the Control Lake project, Polk Inlet involved an environmental impact analysis of 180 to 200 harvest units over 187,000 acres. We prepared a comprehensive timber harvest, logging system, and transportation analysis that formed the basis for developing a paper plan of eligible harvest units. TtEC digitized maps, maintained and managed a large database, performed spatial analyses and produced numerous maps at various scales. We developed habitat suitability index models and designed ArcInfo macros to identify non-suitable lands, riparian land use designations and interior old-growth habitat. In addition, we designed and implemented a comprehensive public involvement program, which included various reports to the public, public hearings, and media releases.
Project Highlights
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