Alaska was much in the news in the late Fifties. The opportunities and bright 

 future of the State were referred to often. A substantial segment of this future 

 is in Alaska's forests. While intensive forestry may be some distance in the 

 future, pulp industry development and accompanying forest management activi- 

 ties in Southeast Alaska, were big steps in that direction. Since intensive for- 

 estry cannot be isolated from fundamental forest research it is clear that the 

 research job ahead is large and complex. Looking ahead to a time in future, the 

 scientific forest management practiced then will be based on research accom- 

 plished by then--research in progress now and research that should begin in the 

 Sixties. 



Our goal for the Sixties is to develop a forest research program in line with the 

 needs of the region. This means intensification of some aspects of the present 

 program and starting nevv work in several fields that at present are large gaps in 

 forestry information. 



One outstanding need for research is the field of forest products utilization. 

 Little western redcedar and Alaska-cedar is utilized in Alaska because an estab- 

 lished market is lacking. There is a substantial volume of these species. Curr- 

 ent production is often wasted, however, because it is necessary to cut cedar 

 along with spruce and hemlock in clear cutting old-growth stands. A local indus- 

 try probably would follow the development of economical methods for manufac- 

 turing cedar, and the development of new uses and markets. 



Other little-used species occurring in large volumes are birch and Cottonwood in 

 the Interior. Research on the quality, capabilities, logging and manufacturing 

 methods, and marketing should trigger the establishment of local industries based 

 on these species. 



As a general rule locally manufactured lumber fails to capture an appropriate 

 share of the demand for liimber. Frequently it is a low grade product discrim- 

 inated against locally and for export. The potential of Alaskan lumber for meet- 

 ing local demands can be strengthened by research and technical assistance in 

 many phases of manufacturing, seasoning, and marketing. 



Other products, such as plywood, treated poles , piling, ties, mine timbers, and 

 related materials await the production and marketing studies needed for the 

 establishment of local businesses based upon local raw materials. These pro- 

 ducts are now imported from the other states. 



How to obtain adequate fire protection is a big problem in the Interior where the 

 area burned annually averages close to one million acres. A drastic reduction 

 in losses due to fire is essential to reaching anything approaching the full timber - 

 producing potential of the Interior. There are fire problems in Southeast Alaska 

 also. The rapidly developing pulp industry is creating new fuel conditions. As 



