Preservation

Much of the Alaskan Yellow Cedar we use is 400-500 years old, and can be up to 1500 years old.  Because this old growth timber comes from the Tongass National Forest we are always concerned about forestry practices.  The Alaska Forest Resources Act provides strict regulations to protect streams, rivers, and wildlife.  Buffer zones along these areas are required for commercial harvest on Federal, State, and Privately owned lands.  Helicopter logging is used in more sensitive areas and this helps reduce impact to the soils and new road construction. 

Here at Alaska Log Structures we feel this is a good step towards "Low Impact Logging".  It is our hope that in the very near future logging companies will work towards "tree mapping" and planned "log extraction" leading to more sustainably managed forests.  Some might perceive this as a threat to profit, but in the few forests where this is already in practice the increased efficiency has more that offset the cost to map tress individually using GPS technology.

Good forestry practices when initiated correctly could insure that future generations will enjoy the use of this valuable resource.