Alaska Resource Review, Spring 2026

VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 2 | JUNE 2026

The training focuses on explaining the rules of the program, as well as working to understand the background of the lumber grading system. Participants undergo class- room presentations, discussions, lumber grading practice and a test on their under- standing of the acquired knowledge. The goal is that by the end of this training, par- ticipants can adequately self-grade lumber and use it as an alternative to grade-stamped lumber while also satisfying Alaska’s build- ing code requirements. Labrenz said feedback regarding the pro- gram has been positive, with participants finding the training useful and a good meth- od of building a community with these local mills and including them in resource pro- duction within their state. “It’s very popular,” he said. “Attendance at the trainings remains strong and people are really thankful that the state has put this together. People love it.” The program was officially established when Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed Senate Bill 87 into law in August 2023. “The timber industry is an integral part of Alaska’s history,” Dunleavy said. “This lumber grading program will help shape the

timber industry for Alaskan small business- es to allow them to thrive now and in the future.” Alaska currently does not have a state- wide uniform building code, unlike other states. Local municipalities enforce their own residential codes. Labrenz said he would like to see all municipalities and communities adopt this program and incorporate it into their codes so the process can be efficient and streamlined for producers while providing confidence in the homebuyer. Labrenz said communities like Anchor- age, Ketchikan, Fairbanks and Sitka intend to adopt it into their building code in the near future, with Anchorage and Fairbanks currently going through the process. “That’s going to be ongoing heading into the future,” Labrenz said. “The fact that it’s Anchorage and Fairbanks both intending to adopt it into their building code is a pretty huge development.” He added that the program has observed a demand for sawmill and wood product edu- cation, specifically when it comes to kiln oper- ation. This would improve local lumber busi- ness turnaround and help them get the most value out of the resources the state has to offer.

“It creates business opportunities for sawmill businesses to add a new prod- uct line that will hopefully create a bigger demand and economic activity in the forestry sec- tor." — Matt Labrenz, instructor, Alaska Lumber Grading Program

Photo by Nathaniel Wilder

Matt Labrenz hands out certificates after a lumber grading training program in 2024 in Fairbanks.

ALASKA LUMBER GRADING PROGRAM FILLS VITAL NEED

BUILDING ALASKA ONE OUNCE AT A TIME CONAM’s track record of successful projects has proven that resource development can be done responsibly while protecting Alaska’s fragile environment. Our firm understanding of Alaska’s unique challenges and commitment to HSSE and planning have translated into

Initiative helps provide options in state to curb need for lumber imports BY HARRY WHITED FOR THREE YEARS, THE ALASKA LUMBER GRADING PROGRAM HAS WORKED TO TRAIN AND CERTIFY SMALL AND MEDIUM-SCALE SAWMILL OPERATORS SO THEY CAN PRODUCE LOCAL LUM- BER THAT COULD BE ACCEPTED AS AN ALTERNA- TIVE TO GRADE-STAMPED LUMBER. Matt Labrenz, a forest products special- ist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and an instructor for the Alaska Lumber

Grading Program, said the program is an important state-level alternative to the tra- ditional grade-stamp system used in the United States. Alaska currently relies heavily on im- ported grade-stamped lumber from Can- ada and the Pacific Northwest. Recent estimates show imported lumber costs Alaskans more than $20 million a year. Labrenz said the acceptable alternative lumber produced by these smaller mills within the state would help cut down on the state’s dependence on outside resources for a variety of reasons. “It creates business opportunities for sawmill businesses to add a new product line that will hopefully create a bigger de-

mand and economic activity in the forestry sector,” Labrenz said. Due to Alaska’s distance from global shipping networks, Labrenz said the state is subject to lingering availability and vola- tility issues when it comes to lumber. “At no other time was that more felt than during COVID-19,” he said. During the pandemic, the price of building materials — especially lumber — skyrocketed in Alaska, and availability was scarce. Labrenz said the lumber grading program helps mitigate the crisis during those extreme events. “The ability to just make your own prod- uct gives us a lot of protection from those volatility and availability issues,” he said.

satisfied mining clients across the state. We get dirty so you get the pay dirt.

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ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW JUNE 2026

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