The Elephant in the Room: New Growth Riparian Management in Southeast Alaska

Watersheds in Southeast Alaska support a range of valuable resources; fish and timber are the most apparent.  Large scale logging began in the 1950’s and continued through the 1990’s and more than 500,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest and state and private forest lands are second growth forest <100 yr old.  Increasing social pressure, previous harvest rates, and decreasing demand after the closure of two pulp mills has reduced harvest of old-growth forest.  Second growth forests >50 yr old are approaching an age when commercial harvest will become economically feasible and will be in demand to support local forest products industries.  Second growth riparian areas are different from old-growth areas both in vegetation and morphology as a result of past timber harvest.  Current forest management standards for riparian and fish habitat were developed for management of old-growth watersheds rather than the diverse conditions in second growth riparian areas.  A management strategy that guides riparian management and timber harvest in second growth forests that is compatible with habitats that support salmonid is needed.  Presently, restoration has been the primary management approach in second growth watersheds of southeast Alaska, which is important.  Establishing standards and guidelines for timber harvest that will maintain and restore the conditions for sustainable salmon stocks in second growth watersheds is a complex issue. Analysis following processes that encompass the entire watershed from headwaters to the ocean can guide this process. Three important elements are the diverse life history strategies of salmon, connectivity throughout the watershed, and natural disturbance regimes.