Forests of Alaska 



Sr.WhSier.. L=9 V . / iTU**** 



Forest distribution in Alaska: The nontimbered Arctic slope and Bering Sea coastal 

 region, tundra and grass; the lightly timbered interior, white spruce and white birch, 

 which supply local construction material and fuel and provide food and cover for game 

 and fur bearers; the heavily timbered south-coast region, extensive stands of western 

 hemlock and Sitka spruce suitable for pulp manufacture. 



elude not only the forests of interior 

 Alaska, but also the tundra and grass- 

 lands of interior Alaska and the Bering 

 Sea- Arctic region, as those nonforested 

 lands are important game and fur 

 areas. The total area needing fire pro- 

 tection in Alaska is not less than 250 

 million acres. 



Those who know the fire situation in 

 interior Alaska estimate that an accept- 

 able minimum of fire protection on 

 these lands could be provided with an 

 expenditure of $250,000 annually, sup- 

 plemented at the start with $50,000 

 a year over a 5 -year period. The sup- 

 plement would provide for necessary 

 transport equipment, such as trucks 

 and river boats, the purchase and in- 



stallation of the radio and telephone 

 equipment, the purchase of fire-fight- 

 ing equipment, and the construction of 

 essential field stations. The $250,000 

 annual operating cost would be slightly 

 more than a mill an acre. The small 

 population of interior Alaska, and the 

 fact that most fires are man-caused, 

 make it possible to accomplish a great 

 deal in fire protection at little cost by 

 instructing the public in the need for 

 and methods of prevention. 



IN THE SOUTH-COAST region the 

 timberlands form a part of the conif- 

 erous forest type that occupies the so- 

 called fog belt, usually less than 50 

 miles wide, along the shore line of the 



