South-Central Alaska forests

de Sally J. Campbell

This publication presents highlights of a recent south-central Alaska inventory conducted by the Pacific Northwest Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (USDA Forest Service). South-central Alaska has about 18.5 million acres, of which one-fifth (4 million acres) is forested. Species diversity is greatest in closed and open Sitka spruce forests, spruce woodlands, closed tall alder shrub type, and low shrub willow type. Of the forest land, 1.9 million acres are classified as timberland (unreserved productive forest land). About 1.3 million acres of forest land are reserved from harvest; these reserved forest acres are primarily on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, national parks, and the Chugach National Forest. The volume of timber on timberland was estimated at 5,087 million cubic feet; the plurality of volume-44 percent-is on state and local government lands with the remaining volume primarily on private lands (28 percent) and national forests (23 percent). Fifty-seven percent of timberland acres and 93 percent of the growing-stock volume is in sawtimber stands, with Sitka spruce forest type predominating. Most timberland in south-central Alaska is of relatively low productivity, producing less than 50 cubic feet per acre per year. For timberland acres on state and private lands, average annual mortality and harvest exceeded average annual growth.