The Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Borough) Land & Resource Management Division is proposing a competitive sealed bid salvage timber sale on Borough owned parcel tax IDs 16N04W02C005 and 16N04W02C006. These parcels are located south of Big Lake and W. Susitna Parkway, just west of South Burma Road. Forest management activities will continue to focus on approximately 26 acres targeting the removal of over-mature white birch and small amounts of beetle-killed spruce. Access to the designated harvest area will be along an existing forest access trail from South Burma Rd on Borough owned parcels 16N04W02C005 and 16N04W02C006.  This proposed harvest area is adjacent to a nearly completed timber harvest as shown on the following map. A 100-foot strip of trees will be left between the harvest areas and along wetlands, resulting in a patchwork of unharvested timber leaving a range of habitat types.

Tree species composition is highly comprised of over-mature white birch with minor components of white spruce and quaking aspen. An overstory removal is the recommended treatment, salvaging the declining white birch and dead spruce. This treatment aims to facilitate natural regeneration of hardwoods and promote the release of residual live spruce trees in both the understory and midstory. An estimated volume of 182 cords of timber is expected to be extracted from the 26-acre timber harvest area.

Supporting material is available for public inspection during normal business hours on the 2nd floor of the Borough Building in the Land & Resource Management office or visit the Public Notice Section on the Borough’s web page, www.matsugov.us.  Public comment is invited on this request.  If you have any comments please mail or deliver them to the Borough offices at the address indicated above, no later than December 6, 2024.  If you have questions about this request call Emerson Krueger at 907-861-7867 between 8 am - 5 pm or you can send an e-mail to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please refer to MSB008177 Burma STH25-004 when submitting comments).

Subject: Seasonal Closure of Borough Managed Rights-of-Way to Construction

Starting at 5 p.m. on November 8, 2024, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough will close its rights-of-way and public use easements to normal construction activity within 10 feet of the road edge (gravel or pavement) until spring 2025.

Key Restrictions:

• All work within 10 feet of existing road surfaces will be restricted to boring. No open-cut methods are permitted.
• For permits allowing open-cut work beyond November 8, 2024, activities must pause until spring, when rights-of-way reopen. Permit extensions may be needed to resume work at that time.
• You may amend current open-cut permits to change from open-cut to boring.

Case-by-Case Exceptions: Property owners needing to establish utility connections to occupy homes or open businesses before spring may be eligible for special permit approval. For more information, contact the MSB Permit Center at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 907-861-7822.

In-Progress Projects:

• Any open trenches must be backfilled with thawed Dl-type material only. Frozen or organic material must be removed and replaced with the correct thawed material.
• Boreholes should be placed at least 10 feet from any asphalt surface to help protect public road infrastructure and reduce future maintenance costs.

This closure does not apply to construction projects managed by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough or the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF). Thank you for cooperating to preserve our public roadways during winter.

The Great Land Trust (GLT) has authorized dog sledding/mushing on the groomed trails within the Fish Creek Conservation Area. Motorized vehicles are prohibited within the conservation easement, with the exception of authorized grooming equipment. These trails will remain open as long as sufficient snow cover remains to protect the underlying vegetation and may be closed at any time if the snow cover is deemed insufficient.
Please call Emerson Krueger, Matanuska Susitna Borough Resource Manager at 861-7867 or if you have any questions.

The Boutet Company, Inc., for Yolanda D’Oyen, submitted an application for a Conditional Use Permit under MSB 17.17—Denali State Park Special Land Use District to construct and operate an RV campground resort within the park’s boundaries. The site is located at Milepost 135.7, 4852 North Parks Highway, Tax ID #U04998000L02-4.

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing concerning the application on Monday, December 16, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Borough Assembly Chambers located at 350 E. Dahlia Avenue in Palmer. This may be the only presentation of this item before the Planning Commission, and you are invited to attend. Planning Commission members may not receive or engage in ex-parte contact with the applicant, other interested parties in the application, or members of the public concerning the application or issues presented in the application.

Application materials may be viewed online at www.matsugov.us by clicking on “All Public Notices & Announcements.” For additional information, you may contact Peggy Horton, Current Planner, by phone at 907-861-7862. Provide written comments by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by mail to MSB Development Services Division, 350 E. Dahlia Avenue, Palmer, AK 99645.

The public may provide verbal testimony at the meeting or telephonically by calling 1-855-290-3803. In order to be eligible to file an appeal from a decision of the Planning Commission, a person must be designated an interested party. See MSB 15.39.010 for the definition of an interested party. The procedures governing appeals to the Board of Adjustment and Appeals are contained in MSB 15.39.010-250, which is available on the Borough home page: www.matsugov.us, in the Borough Clerk’s office, and at various libraries within the borough.

Comments are due on or before November 22, 2024, and will be included in the Planning Commission packet. Please be advised that comments received from the public after that date may not be included in the staff report but will be provided to the Commission at the meeting.