(Juneau) - Today, Sen. Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) voiced his strong support of the Murkowski administration's two pronged approach to improving the long-term supply of economically viable timber from the Tongass National Forest.

"Since the beginning of last year, we've been actively working with the Alaska Forest Association and its members to come up with remedies to the chronic shortage of viable timber from the Tongass. I share the Governor's vision for increasing our timber supply and his willingness to put the full force of the state behind sustainable 10-year Tongass timber sales," said Sen. Stedman.

The Tongass is one of the best-managed national forests in the world, but fifteen years of legal, regulatory and bureaucratic restrictions have crippled the timber industry in Southeast Alaska.

This week, the state signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Forest Service directed at resolving some of these issues. One is a pledge to work cooperatively to identify a sustainable source of economically and technically viable timber to support the 30 plus timber-dependent communities in Southeast Alaska.

The second calls for the state to work with the U.S. Forest Service in revising the Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP) and in resolving issues raised by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Natural Resources Defense Council v. U.S. Forest Service.

"Despite the timber industry's best efforts, we continue to be stymied by the U.S. Forest Service's inability to implement the 1997 TLMP in a way that ensures a sustainable level of activity on the Tongass. These MOUs are a significant step towards resolving this problem," said Sen. Stedman.

Sen. Stedman represents Senate District A, which includes the Southeast communities of Ketchikan, Sitka, Wrangell and Petersburg.

For more information contact Miles Baker at (907) 465.3873

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