A LARGE EXPENDITURE WILL BE REQUIRED 

 TD RESTORE THE NORTH SLOPE FOREST 

 TO PRODUCTIVE CONDITION 



The commercial forest of the North Slope includes thousands of acres that produce 

 so little timber that they are not likely to be considered economically operable in the fu- 

 ture even though publicly owned. How large that area is depends upon operating costs 

 that can be estimated with some realism, future values that can only be guessed, and the 

 acceptable relationship between the two. In this study, economically operable areas were 

 assumed to be those in which stumpage values in the next rotation would exceed costs for 

 development and rehabilitation. Seventy-five of the 94 compartments are operable on this 

 basis. These 75 compartments include 252,000 acres of the 404,000 acres of commercial 

 forest in the North Slope. 



The cost of restoring these 252,000 acres to a productive condition will probably run 

 higher than $80 an acre, exclusive of future insect control costs. 



Since the North Slope is still relatively vmdeveloped, the additional road system re- 

 quired to utilize and manage the operable timber will cost about $7 million. However, a 

 600- to 900-mile road network, costing about $5 million, has tentatively been planned for 

 the area, and nearly all of this system is primarily for recreation and other purposes not 

 related to timber management. This can now be regarded only as a rough estimate of road 

 needs for multiple use management and the specific portions chargeable to various func- 

 tions are partly a matter of arbitrary judgment. Yet, it is important that uses not related 

 to timber management will undoubtedly bear much of the development cost. If construc- 

 tion of these roads is charged to other uses, there still would remain $2 million of addition- 

 al road construction required to utilize the timber. 



If the operable timber area on the North Slope is to be devoted to timber growing, 

 the big cost during the first rotation will be for land management measures required to 

 convert the presently decadent timber into a vigorous young forest. More than $7 million 

 will be required to clean up dead and unutilizable timber and logging debris. Another $9 

 million will be needed for subsequent site preparation and stand regeneration. Thinning to 

 prevent overstocking in the new timber crop will add another $2.6 million of costs. 



These road development and management costs add up to $21.1 million (table 11). 

 Basic costs of land administration are not included as they will continue whether or not 

 this area is devoted to timber growing. 



Table 11. — COST OF DEVELOPING THE TIMBER RESOURCE 

 AND RESTORING THE LAND TO PRODUCTION 



Million 

 dollars 



Additional roads chargeable to timber 



2.0 



Slash disposal 



7.2 



Site preparation and stand regeneration 



8.8 



Thinning 



2.6 



Erosion control 



.5 



Total 



21.1 



15 



