236 FOREST OUTINGS 



The maintenance of numerous deer involves no difficult problems. The 

 remote high-country ranging habits of the mountain goat give little chance 

 of conflict between this animal and resource development. But the large 

 wilderness animals, mountain sheep, moose, Alaska brown bears, and grizzly 

 bears, constitute game resources of such dominant interest that special con- 

 sideration must be given them in plans for land and resource use of every 

 kind. Management plans of a type now in effect on Admiralty Island for 

 bear will be established on all commercial timber-management units where 

 wildlife is important. 



The possibilities of a large newsprint production, a potential expansion 

 of lode mining, fur farming, and other resource uses, will likely lead to 

 greatly increased commercial developments in Alaska's national-forest re- 

 gions during the next two decades. But all increase in settlement that can 

 possibly be foreseen will perhaps leave three-fourths of the total land area 

 undeveloped. The extensive back areas, so well suited to the frontier type 

 of recreational use that is characteristically Alaskan, will be largely devoted 

 to that purpose. 



There are as yet few garish and clamorous invasions of the forest calm 

 in southeast Alaska. Most developments fit into the scene. But to be sure 

 that nature is not outraged in the coming commercial expansion, careful, 

 integrated planning is required. The job is being approached from both the 

 regional and local points of view. 



Because of the steepness of the country and the excessive costs of clear- 

 ing land, large-scale agriculture in southeastern Alaska is unknown. People 

 do, however, raise vegetables, berries, and gorgeous flowers in small patches 

 on cultivatable land near the coast. 



Home sites are restricted to these better lands and to areas capable of 

 supporting groups of homes rather than single scattered ones. Town sites 

 and group home sites are selected and subdivided to concentrate commer- 

 cial fishermen, miners, lumbermen, and others in properly located and 

 sizable communities. Already island fox farming with free-running animals is 

 passing from the picture, and isolated fox-farming families are being con- 

 centrated on 5-acre tracts along roads near towns where pen-raised fox 

 farming offers better chances of success. In brief, land-settlement policy on 



