Table 5. -- Average 1956 and 1957 cone crop ratings 



for Southeast Alaska 



Species Rating 



No. 

 observations 



1956 1957 1956 1957 



Sitka spruce 



7 



2 



Western hemlock 



4 



6 



Mountain hemlock 



6 



- 



Western redcedar 



8 



1 



Alaska cedar 



5 



1 



Lodgepole pine 



5 



1 



47 



30 



36 



25 



2 



- 



2 



2 



4 



18 



2 



3 



Seed production in semi-scrub stands 



A study of seed fall in a climax pulptimber stand following a bumper 

 seed crop in 1951 showed a production of 91 pounds of seed per acre. 

 The seed was disseminated over a period of more than a year but 87 

 percent had fallen by the end of November. 



In a semi-scrub stand following a medium crop of seed in 1956 about 

 49 pounds per acre were dispersed from October through the following 

 May. The stand consisted mostly of western redcedar and the amounts 

 were : 



Cedar - 36 pounds 



Hemlock - 13 pounds, half each of mountain hemlock and 



western hemlock 

 Sitka spruce - 1/4 pound 



Because of wet weather and early snow the bulk of the seed was dis- 

 persed over a longer period than usual. Only 50 percent of the cedar 

 and only 7 percent of the hemlock had fallen by December 30. Cutting 

 tests showed 92 percent soundness for redcedar released before 

 October 30, and 68 percent between October 30 and January 15. Hemlock 

 averaged 40 percent and 25 percent respectively for the same periods. 



The prescribed burn at Kina Cove 



The question of whether slash on clearcut areas in Southeast Alaska 

 could or could not be properly burned has been discussed for many 

 years. The several thousand acres each in the Skowl Arm burn and in 

 the Karta River burn are pointed to as examples of what could happen. 

 Actually, these two fires happened the same year (1904) and they 

 smoldered all year in scrub and muskeg, according to a few old-timers. 

 Since then there have been no large forest fires in Southeast Alaska, 

 but there have been many small ones, usually after a week or two of 

 dry weather. 



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