KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Kayla Desroches/KMXT
Many trees have suffered damage due to the Twin Creeks fire, and that issue made it onto the agenda at the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly’s work session last night. Resource Management Officer, Duane Dvorak, gave a summary of what they know so far about the affected trees in Chiniak.
“In some of these areas, the fire ran underneath the canopy along the ground. The ground was burned, and the fire went up probably for three or four feet up into the trunks of the trees. And in cases like this where the trees are completely girdled with fire damage, if the cambium layer has been substantially damaged – that is what brings the nutrients to the crown of the tree – chances are they’re probably going to die.”
Dvorak pointed out the roughly 826 acres of borough land that had been affected, but said at this point, he’s not sure how much of it is burned and how badly.
“I can’t really put a percentage on it, I’m not qualified to do that, but I’ve consulted with a number of people and it does sound like a very dim outlook for this patch of timber in the long term, so the question is, ‘What does the assembly want to do about it?’”
He said he’s talked with Division of Forestry staff and the assembly could log the area. Dvorak said the standing timber still has value according to Division of Forestry official, Hans Rinke, but it may slowly decrease with time.
“You have four of five years from whatever the value is now, today, and then it goes in a step decline, so from his perspective, I don’t think he was necessarily saying five years from now that it’d be valueless, but it probably wouldn’t be economically viable to get somebody in to do a conventional logging.”
Dvorak said they may also be able to harvest the area – in order to salvage its value, but also to open up other options if the assembly wants to re-forest it.
“Mr. Rinke indicated that the forest practices act would require 225 seedlings per acre. That’s a minimum. He really recommended 300 per acre due to expected morality beyond the standard, but he said for planning purposes, a dollar a tree is probably not out of the realm, and that adds up to about 200 to 300,000 dollars.”
The assembly discussed hiring an expert to evaluate the land in order to learn the extent of the fire’s damage to the trees. Borough assessor Bill Roberts, who stood in for the borough manager, said Dvorak and Rinke have discussed two possible foresters.
“One’s in Juneau, one’s in Anchorage… they’re independent foresters. They could do both the crews and also look at the overall health of those trees and give you those kinds of answers. And what we would be proposing is to contact one or both of those, and if it’s within the manager’s ability to put out a contract to do that –cruise and that – then do to that. If not, come back to the assembly.”
The assembly decided it would investigate hiring an expert. The assembly’s next regular meeting is scheduled for October 1.
