Alaska White Birch. Betula neoalaskana. 
Leaves green above, lighter below. Cones slightly 
over 1 inch long and one-third inch through. The 
tiny seeds, or nuts, have filmy wings on two sides. 
The bark is hard and thin, whitish or reddish, and 
scales ofF around the tree. Small twigs and leaves 
have conspicuous resinous specks. The hard, close- 
grained wood is light red hrown. It is not used very 
extensively in Alaska but is good for cabinet work, 
spools, toys, etc., and is a fair pulp wood. 
Alaska white birch is common tliroughout the inte- 
rior of Alaska to Unalakleet, about 161° west, and 
occurs on the south side of the coast range on the 
Kenai Peninsula, along Lynn Canal, and on several of 
the main coastal river drainages. It is found near 
streams and on warm slopes with moist porous soils, 
generally in mixture with spruce or other trees, and 
averages 30 feet high and 6 to 10 inches in diameter. 
Sitka Alder. Alnus sinuata. 
Leaves sticky when young, speckled yellow-green 
above, lighter below; shiny. Cones three-fourths inch 
long and three-eighths inch thick. Male flower clus- 
ters 3 to 5 inches long. Bark smooth, thin, and dark 
blue gray. Small twigs hairy and with resinous 
specks. Seeds have a thin wing. Leaf edges curl in 
slightly. Wood good for fuel and charcoal and that 
from larger trees used for lumber. 
Little is known of the range of the Sitka alder, but 
it is believed to be prevalent over most of Alaska from 
the Arctic Circle south, growing in dense thickets from 
sea level to timber line. Although tolerant of shade in 
early life, it likes overhead light as it matures. A 
shrub, 4 to 6 feet high, sometimes a small tree, but 
ordinarily forming dense thickets. 
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