NEW LAND: ALASKA 235 



ing 14 million acres are made up of muskeg, other open lands within the 

 timbered zone, brush, grass, barren peaks, snow fields, and ice caps above 

 timber line. This large untimbered area will be undisturbed by commer- 

 cial forest activities. Of the total timbered lands, at least one-third is un- 

 likely ever to be invaded by logging operations because of low commercial 

 timber values. These low-quality forests are often as pleasing in appear- 

 ance as commercial stands and are usually important as habitat for game 

 and fur animals. 



The great bulk of the national-forest commercial timber is confined to 

 a strip from 3 to 5 miles wide along tidewater; but with orderly cutting, 

 and reproduction of cut-over areas assured by timber-management plans, 

 forest devastation with huge areas of unsightly brush or barren lands may 

 be avoided. Lands of unusually high aesthetic and recreational values, in 

 some cases covering thousands of acres, will be left intact. 



Recreational planning on Alaska national forests resolves itself, then, 

 into first providing for local community recreation. This presents no im- 

 portant difficulties. A substantial start on a program has already been 

 made. To prevent conflicts between local outing activities and other national- 

 forest uses, such as homesteads, fur farms, Indian claims, and logging opera- 

 tions, suitable lands have been reserved near towns and industrial centers. 



The second consideration in recreational planning is coordination of forest 

 recreation, wildlife management, and the preservation of scenery in localities 

 where timber cutting is under way. This offers complicated problems that 

 can be solved only by following definite policies and practices. Areas carry- 

 ing commercial timber but having scenic and other paramount recreational 

 values will be withheld from logging operations entirely or subjected only 

 to such cutting as will not detract materially from the higher value. For 

 instance along the narrow channels of main steamer routes, a light selective 

 logging, not greatly altering the appearance of forest cover, may be feasible. 



Only about 22 percent of the total forest area has loggable timber. Tim- 

 ber-management plans prescribe a tree-growth rotation averaging around 

 85 years, so that, in general, slightly more than 1 percent of the commercial- 

 timber area will be cut over in any 1 year. No serious conflict need exist 

 between lumbering and wildlife on the national forests. 



