Southeast Alaska Conservation Council

Many wildlife species depend on the protection provided by old-growth forests. Buried under deep winter snows, clearcuts are inaccessible to wildlife during the harshest season. When the trees grow back in tightly-packed second growth stands, the dense canopy and snarled lower layers do not let enough light in to support forage plants. These areas become “biological deserts” with low productivity persisting for more than 100 years.