Dunleavy signs ‘shared stewardship’ agreement with U.S. Forest Service to boost timber production

Efforts will focus on the Tongass National Forest, governor says; similar agreements signed by several other Republican-led states following executive order by Trump

U.S. Forest Service workers perform trail maintenance work between Windfall Cabin and Montana Creek in Juneau in a photo published Sept. 8, 2025. (U.S. Forest Service photo)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

This is a developing story.

A 20-year shared stewardship agreement aimed at "increasing economic opportunities for young growth timber while meeting market demand for old growth timber" has been signed between the State of Alaska and the U.S. Forest Service, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced Tuesday.

The agreement, similar to those signed by several other Republican-led states and a tribe in Oregon, "stems from President Trump’s Executive Order 14225, ‘Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production,’ which identified timber production as critical to the nation’s well-being," according to a press release issued by Dunleavy’s office.

“As someone who has worked in a logging camp in Southeast Alaska, I know how important having a working forest is to communities in Southeast,” Dunleavy said in a prepared statement. “This is great news for the people of Alaska and will be a lifeline to the blue-collar Alaskan workers in Southeast Alaska who President Biden and previous administrations sought to keep out of work by managing the Tongass as if it were a National Park.”

The release notes an interagency team will be established "to identify priority goals and opportunities and will enable the State of Alaska to carry out forest restoration projects on 300,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest."

The U.S. Forest Service, in a press release, states "the agreement represents the largest scale of state-federal collaboration in Alaska's history in terms of acreage and duration, and provides a long-term framework to address the unique challenges facing the state's forests and communities."

The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection manages 20 million acres of state lands and provides fire protection across 154 million acres statewide, while Forest Service manages the 5.4-million-acre Chugach National Forest and 16.7-million-acre Tongass National Forest, according to the Forest Service.

"Together, these lands provide critical resources and economic opportunities for Alaskans while protecting watersheds, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources," the release notes. "These coordinated efforts will help sustain rural economies, improve public safety, and support long-term community resilience."

The announcement comes six days after a 30-day public comment period began on revising the Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management plan, with a new emphasis on timber and other resource industries as mandated by Trump.

The Trump administration has also taken numerous other actions to spur natural resource projects including oil drilling and mining. Among recent such actions, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday it is ceding 2.1 million acres of federally managed land north of the Yukon River to state control, allowing for possible mining, road building and other development.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.