SEASIDE News

The Tongass Futures Roundtable seems to continue where the Tongass Community Futures Conference left off.

This post is being written to draw your attention to this organization. Please go check out their website and see what they’re up to. Below, I have posted their Purpose statement. Please especially note sections 3 and 4. I have contacted Russell Heath, SEACC’s executive director, who is also chairman of the Sustainable Economy Committee, concerning sustainable economic development in the Tongass region. If you are also interested in this, contact Russell from SEACC’s website, http://www.seacc.org and ask to be put on his email list. Ultimately, I intend for SEASIDE to be involved with this project and do what it can to promote sustainable economic development in Southeast Alaska.

The following quote is taken from the Tongass Futures Roundtable website, http://www.tongassfutures.net:

“The Tongass Futures Roundtable brings together a diverse group of stakeholders long involved in the Tongass to discuss how to incorporate our economic, cultural, and ecological values in public policy issues throughout the region. The Roundtable seeks to explore how a broad range of stakeholders can address these public policy issues and work together to achieve a long-term balance of healthy and diverse communities, vibrant economies, responsible use of resources -including timber, while maintaining the natural values and ecological integrity of the forest.”

Tongass Futures Roundtable

Purpose
The Roundtable brings together a diverse group of stakeholders long involved in the
Tongass to discuss how to incorporate our economic, cultural, and ecological values in
public policy issues throughout the region. The Roundtable seeks to explore how a broad
range of stakeholders can address these public policy issues and work together to achieve
a long-term balance of healthy and diverse communities, vibrant economies, responsible
use of resources -including timber, while maintaining the natural values and ecological
integrity of the forest.
Convening Values
The Roundtable will include all of those who care for the Tongass by using open,
inclusive, and transparent processes to reach out to all Tongass voices. The Roundtable
will work to create a positive dialogue and find shared solutions to meet the Roundtable’s
Purposes.
Recognizing that the governance of the Roundtable will evolve over time, this protocol is
intended to guide it through its early existence. The Roundtable will review the protocol
at its first meeting annually.
Goals
1. Support an agreement for bridge timber supply that allows a consensus
stakeholder process to proceed. Bridge timber supply is required from now until
the timber supply would come available under the plan revision (an estimated 24-
36 months). In the interim, the Forest Service will continue the scheduled
amendment process.
2. Reach consensus on specific recommendations to the TLMP Amendment. The
issues that these recommendations will address may include, but are not limited
to, the following:

· Recommend a stabilized land base

o Reach consensus on how to address ANCSA entitlements and other
potential draws on Tongass National Forest lands
o Reach consensus on which watersheds of the Tongass should be
conserved
o Reach consensus on which areas of the Tongass will allow timber
harvest

· Recommend a long-term stable supply of timber

o Assess feasibility of second growth timber
o Recommend ways for Congress and the administration to incentivise a
restoration economy

· Explore feasibility and methods to transition to second growth management
over the next 10-40 years

· Forest Service commits to recognize the comments and recommendations of
the Tongass Future Roundtable and meaningfully incorporate the
recommendations in the decision-making process

3. Recommend how to protect our SE Alaskan quality of life through the responsible
stewardship of cultural, economic and biological values

· Identify ways to celebrate and enrich cultures, protect values and strengthen
opportunities for healthy communities and vibrant economies

· Achieve this goal by engagement that gives voice to and empowers all
cultures and values.

· Achieve this goal by engagement that gives voice to and empowers local
communities.

4. Advocate for Southeast Alaska to have a robust, community-based diversified and
sustainable economy

· Look at systemic problems regionally and locally (energy, solid waste,
regulatory problems)

· Find a project or issue to work together on and see it through, such as

o Create a restoration project
o Create a climate for entrepreneurs
o Improve existing industry without impacting other users
o Maximize value-added resource
o Decrease reliance on government, increase private sector jobs

· Work toward a timber industry that has more continuity, sustainability and
reliability

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 27th, 2007 at 4:58 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.