FAQs about the Natural History of the Inside Passage

11. Is clear-cutting still practiced in Southeast Alaska? How much is done by helicopter? How long does it take clear-cut areas to become harvestable?

Clear-cutting is still the most economical method of harvesting timber, especially in steep terrain. The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council estimates that 4 percent of the Tongass National Forest contains the biggest, most productive, old-growth forest. The lush valley-bottom and beach fringe areas are most in demand for logging due to economies of harvesting. However, these same areas provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife. In the past 50 years, over half of this habitat has been clear-cut. Compounding the problem is that 1.7 million acres of prime old-growth forest is on private land in the hand of Alaska Native corporations. These lands are exempt from many of the laws and are being clear-cut at an alarming rate.

Helicopters are used as an alternative to clear-cutting, by harvesting selected individual trees and leaving 75 percent of the trees in a given area. But helicopter operations can be as much as five times more expensive than conventional logging.

Conservationists estimate that full recovery of an old-growth forest requires 200 years, but that will rarely happen since most secondary growth forests will be harvested after 100 years.