242 FERNOW 



spruce, birch, and cottonwood a veritable oasis in the 

 midst of utter desolation." 



While certain mountains may limit the southern bound- 

 ary of this interior forest region, the western limit of tree 

 growth follows a line between the i6ist and i6$d degrees 

 of longitude, from Nushagak River to Golofnin Bay in 

 Norton Sound, then turning northeasterly to the Keewalik 

 River and the hills to the west of Noatak River and ( at 

 about the 6yth degree of latitude) changing to eastward 

 and following the watershed of the Kowak River to its 

 headwaters, when it assumes the northeasterly direction 

 of the Endicott Mountains along the watershed of the 

 Colville River to the low mountain ranges which skirt the 

 Arctic Ocean within twenty-five miles of the coast, as far 

 east as the Mackenzie River, where, between the 69th 

 and 7oth degrees of north latitude, the northernmost 

 tree growth occurs. Timber is said to abound on the 

 dividing ridges of the interior, between Colville River 

 and the British possessions. 1 



The open and stunted character of the tree growth, 

 which is so general, may be in part a result of the com- 

 paratively dry climate for this region, while blessed 

 with an abundant snowfall (eight to fifteen feet), suffers 

 from droughty summers (rainfall about thirteen inches). 

 In summer, the temperature is said to exceed 112 Fahr. 

 in the shade, while in winter it has been known to fall to 

 60 and lower, a range of over 170 degrees. The dis- 

 tribution of forest areas is probably also largely influenced 

 by soil or drainage conditions : " The entire face of the 

 country is covered with a heavy growth of moss and 

 lichens, nearly as thoroughly saturated as a wet sponge, 

 which remains soggy and cold until late into summer, and 

 even on slopes the water drains off but slowly, while a 



1 H. D. Woolfe, in Eleventh Census: Population and resources of Alaska, 

 p- 134. l8 93- 



