PLAN FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF BROWN BEAR 5 



Angoon Village. Blazed and partially brushed lines of travel 

 intended for temporary use and established over a long period by 

 prospectors and hunting guides are found in many places. These 

 lines are of considerable assistance in following routes to remote 

 points, but they cannot be classed as satisfactory travel ways. 



Construction was started in 1933 on a comprehensive system of 

 trails, portages, and shelter cabins, which will open large portions 

 of the island to foot and water travel. 



VEGETATIVE COVER TYPES 



The principal cover type is a virgin mixed forest of western hem- 

 lock and Sitka spruce of merchantable quality for timber products. 

 This commercial type extends from tidewater to an altitudinal 

 limit of about 1,500 feet and occupies a major part of the land area 

 below that elevation. This same zone contains another extensive 

 type consisting of " scrub " timber of the same species. The num- 

 ber of trees per acre is less than in the commercial stands and the 

 trees are shorter and of poorer quality. This material is classed as 

 unmerchantable, although portions well located for logging may 

 sometimes be used. Other cover types found in this same zone in- 

 clude muskegs, composed of peat moss, shrubs, and isolated stunted 

 trees; grass flats at the heads of bays and near the mouths of 

 streams ; and wet swamps. These three types are important as bear 

 range but have no commercial value. They cover but a small per- 

 centage of the land area within the commercial-timber zone. 



Above the comercial-timber zone is a narrow band of stunted 

 trees clearly of no commercial value, designated as the " subalpine 

 forest " type. This in turn gradually gives way at its upper limits 

 to a very extensive type composed of dense thickets of alders and 

 willows interspersed with areas of herbs and grass. Barren rock 

 shows on the more rugged sites within all types above the commer- 

 cial-timber zone. 



The timber grows in fairly even-aged stands, and practically all 

 age classes are represented. Overmature age classes, however, are 

 by far the most abundant. The trees reach heights of 175 to 200 

 feet, averaging about 125 feet. Diameters of 6 feet are not uncom- 

 mon, but the average is about 3^2 feet for spruce and between 2 and 

 2i/ 2 feet for hemlock. The maximum volume per acre is in excess 

 of 100,000 board feet, and the average of all the commercial-timber 

 stands is 20,000 board feet. The total volume of commercial timber 

 on the island, as determined by timber surveys, is 8,500,000,000 board 

 feet. 



Logging operations along the shores of this island have been car- 

 ried on intermittently for at least 25 years to supply the local 

 demand for saw logs and the long piling needed in the construc- 

 tion of salmon traps. The total quantity of material removed 

 represents but a small fraction of that available, and the timber 

 resources can be considered as still intact. 



It is likely that timber for local use will continue to be taken 

 from the island in small quantities, but the great bulk of the com- 

 mercial forest is of outstanding value for the production of paper 

 and will undoubtedly be used for this purpose. In that event the 



