May 31 2008
The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska
Alaskans take pride in their state’s natural resources. Three of them– gold, fish and fur– are well known. These three resources have been worth many times the sum that the United States paid Russia for this piece of land. However, for the future, Alaska is beginning to look to other resources, especially oil and petroleum.
Alaska is rich in vegetation resources. There are two kinds of forests in the state: the interior forest and the coastal forest. The interior forests are found around the river valleys of the interior area and as far north as the central and eastern parts of the Brooks Range. Most of the timber harvested is mainly willow and aspen but much of the forest growth is stunted because of the short growing season and permafrost. The coastal forests on the other hand, begin in the Panhandle and spread throughout the coast of the Gulf of Alaska well into Kodiak Island. These forests are usually dense and made up of hemlock, cedar and spruce trees. Tundra vegetation is also common to much of Alaska. Most of it is made up of lichens, grasses, various mosses, cranberry vines and crowberries. When these plants die, they decay at a very slow rate mainly because of the dampness and low temperature of the area. Year after year, old plants pile up and new plants struggle to grow through them. The tundra vegetation in other parts of Alaska may also include dwarf species of trees and a number of bushes. The only extensive lands for grazing are found on the Aleutian Islands. If you’re looking for true arctic tundra with absolutely no trees or shrubs, then you can check out the Arctic slope and Seward Peninsula.
There is also a wide variety of animal life in an area the size of Alaska. The usual animals would be deer, mountain goats, black bears and moose, all commonly found in southeastern Alaska. Go up further north and grizzly bears start to appear. As you go into the interior lands, caribou begin to replace deer in numbers. It is not uncommon to see caribou travel in herds of thousands. Polar bears are found in the far north and spend most of their time out on the ice packs hunting food. Exotic animals that have been introduced to Alaska include the reindeer found in the Arctic areas, elk on some islands, musk oxen and bison. To conserve animal life on the peninsula, these animals are protected in wildlife ranges under the federal government. Wolves and foxes are also found in many parts of the state. Animals hunted for fur include the mink and beaver. A number of bird species also make Alaska their summer home or remain all year. Some of these include ducks, geese and grouse. The common game fishes are Grayling and rainbow trout. Commercial fish harvests depend mainly on cod, halibut and salmon. In fact, the king salmon is the state fish. Shellfish is also plentiful and a large industry is built on harvesting shrimp, crabs and clams.
Deposits of gold and silver are known to exist in almost every region of Alaska. So much has been said about the gold that people are sometimes surprised to learn that Alaska has also other mineral riches, like natural gas and petroleum. Geologists are still surveying the area for other petroleum sites. The Panhandle is known to contain important minerals such as nickel, zinc and lead. Mineral deposits of the Gulf of Alaska include mercury, platinum and copper. Alaska, with its many bodies of water, also generates power through the production of hydroelectricity.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Alaska