BIG LAKE, Alaska - At a bill signing ceremony at a Matanuska-Susitna Borough wood milling lot, Gov. Mike Dunleavy signedinto law Wednesday. The piece of legislation establishes a lumber grading program for local sawmilling operators that allows them to produce for market and create independence from lumber imported from the Lower 48 and Canada for residential construction.
Mill operators from across the state attended the event at Papoose Milling in Big Lake, where Dunleavy expressed his interest in shaping the timber industry for small businesses in Alaska. The lack of a current wood-grading program prohibits contractors from sourcing locally-milled wood for residential construction and restricts individuals looking to build their own code-compliant structures out of local wood from getting a bank loan to buy materials. The signing of SB 87 changes that.
Under the new law, the Alaska Division of Forestry is directed to develop the grading program and issue lumber grading certificates to program participants or individuals who meet other qualifications.