A commercial fisherman from Kodiak has agreed to plead guilty after federal prosecutors said he illegally cut and transported 16 yellow cedar trees from the Tongass National Forest following the 2024 Sitka herring season.

According to reporting from the Alaska Beacon, Mitchell Keplinger signed a plea agreement one day after being charged with theft of government property in April. Under the agreement, Keplinger will avoid jail time but must pay $85,682.17 in restitution and serve three years of probation, which could later be reduced to no less than 18 months.

Court documents state Keplinger and the 54-foot seiner Alinchak were participating in the Sitka herring seine fishery in late March and early April 2024 before allegedly harvesting Alaska yellow cedar trees on U.S. Forest Service land near Sawmill Creek, Sugarloaf Mountain, and around Sitka Sound without a permit.

The plea agreement reportedly states Keplinger knew permits were required and that his crew attempted to conceal at least one stump with moss after the trees were cut.

The 16 trees yielded 22 logs valued at $4,476.25, according to court documents cited by the Beacon. Prosecutors said the logs were transported by vessel to Kodiak, with restitution costs including the expense of moving the timber back to Sitka.

Paul Robbins, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service, told the Beacon that yellow cedar holds cultural, ecological, and economic importance in Alaska and is known for its durability and rot resistance. These trees are one of the most valuable timber species in the state, prized for their extreme durability, resistance to rot, and straight grain, according to the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center.

The Beacon also reported that federal officials declined to comment on why the trees were allegedly taken or how the theft was discovered.