N AT U R A L R E SO U RC E D E V E LO PM E N T SPEC I A L SEC T I O N
Milling in the Last Frontier A cut above the rest By Isaac Stone Simonelli
T
he Alaskan spirit of self-reliance and community are deeply ingrained in the small-scale and boutique wood milling operations of the Last Frontier. From dimensional lumber for homes to furniture boards made of live-edge wood that reveals the natural contour and bark of trees, Alaskans are providing for Alaskans. In the rural community of Yakutat, housing is limited and lumber is expensive, says Marvin Adams, the CEO of Yak Timber. Dismal fishing seasons in 2019 and 2020 compounded the troubles for residents in the community and put Yak-Tat Kwaan Alaska Native Village Corporation President Don Bremner on the hunt for creating jobs, Adams explains.
80 | November 2021
Community leaders proposed establishing a mill as part of a “Back to Work” plan to help prepare community members for what was expected to be a harsh winter in 2020. At the time, there was no milling operation associated with Yak Timber, which is owned by the Yak-Tat Kwaan corporation and was incorporated in 2018. “It was decided that the best approach was to purchase a portable sawmill and kiln dryer with the idea it would help put our people to work [and] address the need for and price of local lumber resources,” Adams wrote in a business plan for the venture. Located in remote Southeast, lumber supplies in Yakutat were significantly more expensive than in the Lower 48,
Alaska Business
in part due to the costs of transporting it on the monthly Alaska Marine Lines barge service. While the village is serviced by the Alaska Marine Highway, the business plan cited concerns about the reliability of service and access to space for lumber, as well as limited visits to Yakutat. “Another contributing factor to limited local lumber supply is the extreme demand and need of local housing construction and renovation needs,” Adams writes. Milling operations started last December, and at present Yakutat Mill & Lumber, under Yak Timber, focuses on dimensional, green lumber milling, which is the creation of 2x4, 2x6, 2x12, and other lumber often associated with
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