FOREST TREES AND FOREST REGIONS OF THE U. S. 



47 



cedar. Mountain hemlock and lodgepole pine are rarely found. 

 Cottonwood, alders, and willows represent the so-called "hardwood" 

 group. The spruce overtops the other species, and below the main 

 stand of hemlock and some cedar occurs a dense understory of small 

 trees, blueberry, devilsclub, and other shrubs, with a thick forest 

 carpet of moss overlying the ground (pis. 11 and 12). 



The total stand of timber is estimated at about 81 billion board 

 feet, of which 78 billion is located within the Tongass National Forest, 



VZ7A COAST FOREST 

 [223 i NTERfOR FOREST 



MILES 

 300 



LU 



Figure 8.— Location and extent of the prevailing forest regions in Alaska. 



in tne extreme southeastern portion. The latter timber stand covers 

 an area of about 3,000,000 acres, which means an average volume of 

 timber of about 26,000 board feet per acre. 



As much as 30,000 to 40,000 board feet per acre occur on many 

 extensive areas, with average maximum stands of 50,000 board feet 

 on small tracts. The merchantable trees range mostly in size from 

 2 to 4 feet in diameter and from 90 to 140 feet in height, and the 

 bulk of them occur within 2% miles of tidewater. This commercial 

 forest belt extends from sea level upward to an elevation of about 

 1,500 feet, above which it gradually gives way to dwarfed trees and 

 low undergrowth. Further up the coast is the Chugach National 



