Tongass National Forest

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Prince of Wales Timber Projects

More than in most other places in Southeast Alaska, timber harvest has played a key role in the development of Prince of Wales Island. Large-scale logging has been a way of life on the island since the 1950s.

Forest management begins with an inventory of what's growing in the forest. The inventory is used by many resource specialists, including foresters, to plan whether, where and how to harvest timber.

Logging an area does not mean the end of the forest work there. New stands of trees grow up where the old ones have been cut down. The Forest Service manages the new stands as they grow to assure healthy living conditions for trees, understory plants, and the animals that depend on both.

Forest management includes assuring that areas grow back. If new stands don't start well on their own, we plant seedlings to help guarantee successful reforestation.

When new stands regenerate naturally, they tend to have too many trees for the area. Part of our management includes pruning and thinning to help maintain or restore balance. We monitor for insects and disease. We have even experimented with burning to improve the stands, but found fire plays a very small natural role in a rainforest and isn't an effective management tool.

USDA Forest Service - Tongass National Forest
Last Modified: July 10, 2007