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Southeast exclude important components of the industry such as logging road 

 construction, log trucking, and marine transport of the logs to sawmills and pulp 

 mills. These integral segments of the timber industry account for hundreds of jobs. 



The U.S. Forest Service makes estimates of Tongass timber industry employment 

 but bases its estimates on ADOL numbers. The Forest Service assumes that the 

 Tongass accounts for logging employment to the extent that the Tongass accounts 

 for the total Southeast timber harvest. In other words, if the Tongass accounts for 

 about half of the total regional harvest, it therefore accounts for about half of total 

 regional employment. This may or may not be a valid assumption as timber 

 harvest regulation and practices differ on public and private lands. The Forest 

 Service also does not include road construction and log transport in its estimates of 

 direct Tongass employment. Further, the Forest Service measures employment on a 

 fiscal year basis. This results in slightly different employment estimates than 

 produced by ADOL. 



Finally, existing measures of Tongass timber harvest-related employment exclude 

 any discussion of Forest Service employment. The USPS employs nearly 800 people 

 in Southeast Alaska. A significant portion of this employment exists because part of 

 the Tongass is managed for commercial timber harvest. Forest Service employment 

 is an important component of the regional economy. Therefore, even beyond the 

 private sector implications of Tongass management, Southeast Alaskans are 

 concerned about the future role of the Forest Service in the region. Any discussion 

 of the role of the Tongass timber industry in the regional economy must include 

 some discussion of related Forest Service employment. 



Clearly there is a need for in-depth study for all segments of the Tongass economy. 

 This work will add a few pieces of important information to the Tongass land 

 management process. And just as important, this work will hopefully set the stage 

 for further study of this and other components of Southeast Alaska's greatest 

 economic asset, the Tongass National Forest. 



Methodology 



The employment and payroll data presented in the study is the result of a direct 

 survey of about 50 businesses participating in the Tongass timber industry. These 

 businesses account for an estimated 95% of all Tongass timber-related employment. 

 These businesses were asked to provide copies of the Employer's Quarterly Report 

 forms which all Alaska employers are required to file with the Employment 

 Security Division of the Alaska Department of Labor. On these forms, employers 

 record the number of employed workers each month and the total wages and 

 salaries paid for the three-month period. These are the same forms that ADOL uses 

 to compile the employment and payroll data published in their Statistical Quarterly 

 series. 



While most of the businesses surveyed rely entirely on Tongass timber harvests, 

 some also participate in timber harvest activities on private lands. These businesses 



