37 



Introduction 



The Tongass National Forest is the mainstay of the Southeast Alaska economy. The 

 region's timber, seafood, visitor and mining industries all depend on the forest's 

 valuahlp natural resources. It should be no surprise that management of the 16- 

 million acre Tongass National Forest is of vital concern to the residents of Southeast 

 Alaska. 



Certainly most Alaskans rprngnize the importance of the Tongass in the Southeast 

 economy. After all, the rivers and streams of the Tongass bear the salmon harvested 

 by commercial fishermen, lens of thousands of tourists enjoy the scenery and 

 wildlife of the Tongass, and loggers, sawmillers, and pulpmill workers earn a 

 livelihood from the forest's rich commercial timber stands. The minerals found 

 witnin the forest Aim *m luiicYKiiit&ly important OQurqo ot ucuuomlc prowrh In 

 Southeast. Unfortunately, little quantitative Information exists concerning the 

 various components of the Tongass economy or the overall economic impacts of 

 the Tongass on Southeast Alaska. How can sound land management and resource 

 allocation decisions be made without this important information? 



Rapid increase in forest products industry employment over the last several years 

 has added further confusion tu the issue of timber industry impacts in Southeast 

 Alaska. Forest products industry employment has nearly doubled since 1985. And 

 this growth occurred at a time when parts of the Southeast economy - Juneau's 

 economy in particular - were in a tailspin. 



The purpose of this study is to measure one component of the Tongass economy - 

 the employment and payroll generated as a direct result of Tongass timber harvests 

 - and how that component fits into the regional economy. Direct employment 

 includes all labor involved in accessing the timber (ruad building), falling the timber 

 and transporting it to tidewater, stevedoring, transporting the logs to sawmills or 

 pulpmills, and finally processing the logs into lumber or pulp. 



Direct employment does not include labor involved in regular supplying of remote 

 camps, transporting workers to and from camps (air taxi employment, for example), 

 nor does it Include labor employed in sales of logging equipment or contracted 

 service of such equipment. These and similar types of labor are classified as indirect 

 or support sector employment. 



This 9tudy presents for the First time Tongass timber industry employment data 

 based on original research. Measures of timber industry employment in Southeast 

 are published regularly by the Alaska Department of Labor (ADOL). ADOL does not, 

 however, differentiate between employment on the Tongass and employment on 

 private timber lands. Further, ADOL estimates of timber Industry employment in 



