The Washington herald., 1910-06-19

It is estimated that the total forest and
woodland area Of Alaska is approximate
ly 100, 600 600 acres, or about q per cent OF
the land area of the territory. OF these
about 100000 acres may possibly bear
timber of sufficient size and density to DE
used as saw timber, while the other So
0OA000 acres is woodland, which bears
some saw timber, but mostly only fire.
wood.
The coast region has a mild climate.
not colder than the northern part OF Pu-
get Sound or Of Scotland. The stand OF
trees is dense. averaging for considerable
areas $4,000 feet per acre, Sitka spruce
forming about 20 per cent Of the stand
and western hemlock about 70 per cent.
Although by far the most abundant
species, western hemlock does not pro-
duce as large individual trees as the
spruce or western red cedar-the former
occasionally showing a diameter of six
feet with height of 80 feet. and the
cedar attaining a diameter from three ia
four feet.
Spruce Sought Most.
The usual lumber cut in the coast for
est of Alaska is about q coo 900 board feet.
almost entirely spruce. as hemlock is but
little used. a large part OF this output,
probably one-third. being used for salmon
cases and much of the best lumber Is
used IN this way. The southern and
southeastern coast having a much larger
timber supply than will be needed locally
for a long time TO come. much OF the
hemlock should be cut and the spruce
given an opportunity to increase. The
cutting that has so far taken place on
the coast of Alaska has had but small ef-
feet upon the forest, the bulk is yet I'M
touched. and as II is now Overmature, utii-
ization for other purposes than lumber
should be encouraged as much as posi-
BILE. Both spruce and hemlock are good
pulp wood, and taken together they COM
prise almost the entire forests There is
faint prospect that. so far as the coast
lumber is concerned, It Will ever be
needed for use in Alaska.
Different in the Interior.
The annual growth of the coast forests
is in excess OF the local needs, and I'M
less methods of utilization which will re-
suit in expectation are developed these
products cannot be rightly handled or
properly conserved.
But the interior conditions tell 8 differ
ent story. There the forest stand varies
from practically nothing. In areas Of
scrubby black spruce. to twenty or more
cords per acre in the birch-aspen type,
and several thousand board feet per
acre IN the best white spruce forests. The
best timber OF spruce. birch. and poplar
grows in the valleys, particularly along
the Tanana In the Fairbanks district.
Black spruce predominates In the more
poorly drained situations.
The average OF timber is small, white
spruce rarely and balsam poplar some
times attaining eighteen to twenty-four
inches in diameter; the white birch and
aspen average eight inches in diameter,
though maximum Of eighteen inches on
unusually favorable sites are noted, and
black spruce rarely attains diameter Of
six inches. While the heights Of the DIFF
ferent species run from twenty feet for
the black spruce to seventy-five feet for
the best white spruce, Naturally Il IS I'm
possible for timber TO grow rapidly or 70
large size in soil permanently frozen.
Unlike the coast forests. those Of the in
terror have suffered much from fires: In
some cases ten times as much timber has
been killed by fire than has been cut for
fuel or lumber
Serves for FirewOod.
The bulk Of the timber cut in the for
ests of the Central plateau IS for fire.
wood, several times as much being used
for that purpose as for lumber. Nor is
this surprising. as the interior OF Alaska
depends entirely upon wood for heat.
light. and power Wood is burned by
the Tanana Valley Railroad. which has
fOTty-five miles of track out from Fair
banks. the river steamers, except three
large boats on the Yukon which use oil,
burn wood, and the severe weather OF
the eight-minths winter. when the Their
mometeT sometimes goes down TO 50 de-
grees below zero, makes the consumption
for fuel In domestic affairs much larger
than the population-about S0,000-would
use under conditions existing elsewhere.
The present sparse population will IN
doubtedly be greatly augmented, and its
need for timber will be large. therefore.
its timber supply would be conserved TO
lessen as far as possible the heavy ex-
rense which importation will entail as
transportation is slow, e~0~0 sive, and IN
certain, and by boats wL.y.. operate only