Table 3. — AREA OF COMMERCIAL FOREST LAND 

 BY FOREST TYPES 



Forest tyjje 



Acres 



Percent 



Lodgepole pine 



283,296 



70 



Spruce (Engelmann) 



52,623 



13 



Ponderosa pine 



23,705 



6 



Aspen-cottonwood 



20,899 



5 



Douglas-fir 



18,660 



5 



Subalpine fir 



4,516 



1 



Total 



403,699 



100 



THE NORTH SLOPE FOREST 

 RANKS LOW IN PROOUCTIVITY AND 

 POSES DIFFICULT MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS 



Except for some steep, rough areas along the Green River Canyon and just under the 

 Uinta Peaks, most of the commercial forest land on the North Slope is nearly level or 

 gently rolling. 



However, the North Slope has more than its share of less productive land. More than 

 three-fourths of the commercial forest is classified as "low site" or "very low site" land, on 

 which tree growth is very slow (table 4). For example, lodgepole pine growing on low site 

 land averages only about 11 inches in diameter and 55 feet in height even when trees de- 

 velop free of such disturbances as fire, insects, and disease, and are not overcrowded. Fig- 

 ures 3 and 4 show typical low site areas. 



These site estimates may be unduly minimizing, at least in the lodgepole pine type 

 where overstocking tends to shorten height growth. No allowance was made for this factor 

 in classifjang the site of North Slope lands. 



Table 4. — AREA OF COMMERCIAL FOREST LAND 

 BY SITE CLASS 



Site class' 



Acres 



Percent 



Good 



261 



(2) 



Medium 



75,329 



19 



Low 



225,133 



56 



Very low 



82,640 



20 



Unclassified aspen 



20,336 



5 



Total 



403,699 



100 



Forest Survey site class standards were used in conifer types. Most of the aspen 

 growing on the North Slope is so poor that it cannot be considered for commercial 

 purposes; so no site classification was attempted. 



2Less than 0.5 percent. 



4 



