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High volume old-growth is also important 

 habitat for brown bears. This is particularly 

 true of the rare riparian spruce stands that 

 border anadromous salmon streams. Based on 

 Department studies, over 50% of the summer 

 habitat use of radio-collared, coastal brown 

 bears on Admiralty and Chichagof islands 

 occurs in the high-volume riparian spruce 

 forest even though that habitat represents 

 only about 5% of the area under study. This 

 habitat has been designated the highest value 

 habitat type in the draft ADF&G-USFS 

 Interagency Brown Bear Habitat Capability 

 Model . 



High-volume riparian old-growth borders many 

 of the most productive salmon streams in the 

 region. Though the long-term effects of 

 logging old-growth on fisheries production is 

 still uncertain, the risk of perterbation of 

 the ecosystem is high. 



In general, the most productive lands produce 

 the highest value timber products as well as 

 the most abundant wildlife and fish 

 populations. By concentrating timber 

 harvesting in these areas, we can anticipate 

 disproportionate impact on wildlife 

 populations inhabiting those lands. 



a 



Please find attached (C & D) two technical 

 review papers on the relationships of old- 

 growth to fish and wildlife populations in 

 southeastern Alaska. 



