Show FORESTS IN ALASKA types differ in different parts of country trees grow to large size on the southeastern coast but in the interior have a much smaller development washington the difference between foret fore t types in dil different lerent parts of alaska are as sharp as those between the topographic and climatic and af course depend upon them the coast forests of southern alaska are the tha northernmost extension of 0 the coast type 0 of washington and british columbia tho the interior forests are an extension of the interior canadian forests on the coast of southeastern alaska trees grow to large size in the interior the timber ift ii much smaller the higher mountain areas are completely above timber line climatic conditions in the region adjacent to bering sea and on the arctic slope make forest growth altogether impossible so BO there are great stretches of tundra whose vegetation consists chiefly of moss sedges and a lew few shrubs moss ma may be said to be the garment of alaska and layers ot of it 12 to 18 inches thick are not at all uncommon either on the coast or in the interior making reductions tor for some gome barren areas it is estimated that the total forest and woodland area of 0 alaska aafka I 1 Is approximately acres or about 27 per cent of the land surface of the territory of these about acres may possibly bear timber of suM sufficient clent size and density to be considered forest in the sense that much of it can be used for saw timber while the balance or MOM acres Is woodland which beare some saw timber but on which the forest is of a smaller and more seat scat character and valuable chiefly tor for fuel there Is not sufficient clent information upon which to base any satisfactory estimate of the total stand of timber in alaska it has been estimated tor for instance that the coast forests contain feet of merchantable timber but this estimate might we think be ba much exceeded were both spruce and hem lock closely utilized much of the raft of spruce logs on beh beach near alaska average diameter at the butt 37 inches at the top 21 inches average length 78 feet content of raft approximately board feet black spruce Is too small for commercial purposes so EO that it Is impossible to give a satisfactory estimate of the total stand |