VI. 



Forests of Alaska — Varieties of Timber. 



Speaking of the resources of Alaska, Mr. Petroffsays: 



The timber of Alaska extends over a much larger area than a great many 

 surmise. It clothes the steep hills and mountain sides, and chokes up the 

 valleys of the Alexander archipelago and the contiguous mainland; it stretches, 

 less dense but still abundant, along that inhospitable reach of territory which 

 extends from the head of Cross Sound to the Kenai Peninsula, where, reaching 

 down to the westward and southwestward as far as the eastern half of Kadiak 

 Island, and thence across Shelikof Strait, it is found on the mainland and on 

 the peninsula bordering on the same latitude ; but it is confined to the interior 

 opposite Kadiak, not coming down to the coast as far eastward as Cape Douglas. 

 Here, however, it impinges on the coast or Cook Inlet, reaching down to the 

 shores and extending around to the Kenai Peninsula. From the interior of 

 the peninsula, above referred to, the timber line over the whole ot the interior 

 of the great area of Alaska will be found to follow the coast line, at varying 

 distances of from loo to 150 miles from the seaboard, until that section of 

 Alaska north of the Yukon mouth is reached, where a portion of the coast 

 of Norton Sound is directly bordered by timber as far north as Cape Denbigh. 

 From this point to the eastward and northeastward, a line may be drawn just 

 above the Yukon and its immediate tributaries as the northern limit of timber 

 of any considerable extent. 



The trees, adds Mr. PetrofF, are mostly evergreen, the spruce 

 family preponderating to an overwhelming extent. Boards ot the 

 spruce are not adapted for nice finishing work in building, or in 

 cabinet ware, or, indeed, in anything that requires a finish; for 

 under the influence of slight degrees of heat, it sweats, exuding 

 minute globules of gum or resin, sticky and difficult to remove. 

 The white birch is found throughout the region that supports the 

 spruce — scattered or in small bodies — chiefly along the water 

 courses. The alder and willow are found on all the low lands, 

 reaching far beyond the northern and western limit of the spruce. 



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