Current through August 30, 2024
(a) During yarding, an operator shall keep a
log fully suspended above or yarded away from surface waters where feasible, in
light of the necessary equipment being reasonably available to the operator and
the importance of the surface water to fish habitat and water quality, unless
full suspension or split yarding would likely cause greater degradation of
surface water quality or impact to fish habitat than cross-stream
yarding.
(b) When full suspension
or split yarding is not used under (a) of this section, operations are subject
to the following standards:
(1) unless logs
are completely suspended above surface water, no timber may be yarded across
anadromous fish waters catalogued under
AS
16.05.871 without written approval from the
Department of Fish and Game; no timber may be cable yarded across other
anadromous or high value resident fish waters without prior notice to the
division;
(2) cable yarding across
surface waters must be conducted in a manner to avoid degrading water
quality;
(3) where any cross-stream
yarding occurs, an operator shall minimize damage to stream channels, stream
banks, retained trees, understory vegetation, stumps, and root systems by a
technique such as
(A) when 50 percent or more
of a tree that is to be yarded across a stream will bridge the stream and lie
on the side on which the yarder is located, the tree is directionally felled
across the stream at right angles to the stream channel;
(B) minimizing the number of yarding
corridors across streams;
(C) using
bumper logs to protect stream banks;
(4) yarding up, down or across a V-notch
channel must be accomplished in a manner that does not create significant
erosion; and
(5) consistent with
good safety practices, the direction of log movement between stream banks must
be as close to right angles to the stream channel as is feasible.
(c) The following standards apply
to cable yarding operations:
(1) when
feasible, an operator shall use maximum available deflection;
(2) where feasible, an operator shall use
uphill yarding techniques;
(3)
where downhill yarding is used, an operator shall use deflection to lift the
leading end of the log and minimize downhill movement of slash and
soils;
(4) when yarding parallel to
surface waters, and when in or near a riparian area, an operator shall make an
effort to minimize soil disturbance and to prevent logs from rolling into
surface waters or the riparian area; and
(5) when yarding across marshes and
non-forested muskegs, an operator shall make an effort to minimize damage to
vegetative cover.
(6) on unstable
slopes, an operator shall minimize disturbance to soils, understory vegetation,
stumps, and root systems.
(d) This section also applies to
unconventional cable yarding systems.
As of Register 166 (July 2003), and acting under
AS
44.62.125(b)(6), the
regulations attorney made technical changes to
11 AAC 95.360(b) (1), to reflect Executive Order 107 (2003).
Executive Order 107 transferred functions related to protection of fish habitat
in rivers, lakes, and streams from the Department of Fish and Game to the
Department of Natural Resources.
As of Register 186 (July 2008), and acting under
AS
44.62.125(b)(6), the
regulations attorney made technical changes to
11 AAC 95.360(b) (1), to reflect Executive Order 114 (2008).
Executive Order 114 transferred functions related to protection of fish habitat
in rivers, lakes, and streams from the Department of Natural Resources to the
Department of Fish and Game.
Authority:AS
41.17.010
AS 41.17.055
AS
41.17.080
