The Maybeso Experimental Forest is an

experimental forest An experimental forest, or experimental range, as defined by the United States Forest Service, is "an area administered ... 'to provide for the research necessary for the management of the land.'" Size and relation to other areas According to th ...

on Prince of Wales Island in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...

. It is near

Hollis, Alaska Hollis is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 112, down from 139 in 2000. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total ...

in the

Tongass National Forest The Tongass National Forest () in Southeast Alaska is the largest U.S. National Forest at . Most of its area is temperate rain forest and is remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. The Tongass, which is ...

and is administered by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

. The area of the forest is approximately , with a peak elevation of . The forest was established in 1956 to examine the effects of large-scale

clearcut Clearcutting, clearfelling or clearcut logging is a forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, it is used by foresters to create certain types of fores ...

timber harvesting Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

forest regeneration Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debate ...

and

anadromous Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousan ...

salmonid Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish that constitutes the only currently extant family in the order Salmoniformes . It includes salmon (both Atlantic and Pacific species), trout (both ocean-going and landlocked), chars, freshwater whitefis ...

spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aqua ...

areas. The Maybeso Experimental Forest is the site of the first large-scale clearcut logging operation in

Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, colloquially referred to as the Alaska(n) Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia (and a small par ...

, and nearly all commercial forest was removed from the area between 1953 and 1960. Presently, the forest is an even-aged,

second-growth A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. I ...

Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-larg ...

and

Western hemlock ''Tsuga heterophylla'', the western hemlock or western hemlock-spruce, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma ...

forest.

History

The Maybeso Experimental Forest was established in 1956 within the Maybeso watershed near Hollis, Alaska, which is about west of

Ketchikan, Alaska Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District. With a population at the 20 ...

. The purpose of the Maybeso Experimental Forest is to investigate the effects of industrial clearcut logging on forest regeneration, tree growth, and salmon streams, and it was the site of the first large-scale clearcut timber harvest in Southeast Alaska. Since the establishment of the Maybeso Experimental Forest, researchers have focused on the effects of clearcut timber harvest on the surrounding

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

, regeneration of managed forest,

landslides Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...

and

slope stability Slope stability analysis is a static or dynamic, analytical or empirical method to evaluate the stability of earth and rock-fill dams, embankments, excavated slopes, and natural slopes in soil and rock. Slope stability refers to the condition of i ...

, and soil movement. Prince of Wales Island has had a human presence for approximately 10,000 years. The island is home to various groups of Alaska Natives, and the Maybeso watershed was historically used by the

Kaigani Haida Haida (, hai, X̱aayda, , , ) are an indigenous group who have traditionally occupied , an archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for at least 12,500 years. The Haida are known for their craftsmanship, trading skills, and ...

. After European and American miners arrived in the area in the early 1900s, the population of the region expanded rapidly after the emergence of logging in the 1950s.

Climate

The Maybeso Experimental Forest is within the broader Tongass National Forest, and is characterized by having a

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

, perhumid climate. Temperatures are moderated by the influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean which infiltrates the

Alexander Archipelago The Alexander Archipelago (russian: Архипелаг Александра) is a long archipelago (group of islands) in North America lying off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, the tops of submerged coastal ...

, and range from throughout the year. The mean annual temperature is . The region is also notable for having consistent

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hai ...

throughout the year, and the average annual rainfall within the Maybeso Experimental Forest is about . Peak rainfall occurs in April and May, and October and November. Red alder (''Alnus rubra''), the most common

deciduous tree In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

in the watershed, is more common in the Maybeso Experimental Forest when compared to other regions of the Tongass National Forest. Red alder uses disturbed soil more efficiently than other local flora, and benefits from the logging activity and landslides that have disrupted the soils of the forest. Red alder is a

shade-intolerant In ecology, shade tolerance is a plant's ability to tolerate low light levels. The term is also used in horticulture and landscaping, although in this context its use is sometimes imprecise, especially in labeling of plants for sale in commercial ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

, and the aforementioned events create canopy gaps that red alder can take advantage of. Major

disturbance Disturbance and its variants may refer to: Math and science * Disturbance (ecology), a temporary change in average environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem * Disturbance (geology), linear zone of faults and folds ...

s that pose a threat to the Maybeso Experimental Forest are

windthrow In forestry, windthrow refers to trees uprooted by wind. Breakage of the tree bole (trunk) instead of uprooting is called windsnap. Blowdown refers to both windthrow and windsnap. Causes Windthrow is common in all forested parts of the w ...

and landslides. In particular, the threat of landslides has increased dramatically since the initial clearcut of the forest. Due to the perhumid climate of the region,

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

is generally not a significant threat to forests within the Tongass National Forest.

Fauna

Notable fauna include: * Pink salmon (''Oncorhyncus gorbuscha'') * Chum salmon (''Oncorhyncus keta'') * Coho salmon (''Oncorhyncus kisutch'') * Steelhead (''Oncorhyncus mykiss'') * Cutthroat trout (''Oncorhyncus clarkii'') * Dolly Varden trout (''Salvelinus malma'') * Sitka black-tailed deer (''Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis'') * Black bear (''Ursus americanus'') * North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') * American marten (''Martes americana'') * American ermine (''Mustela richardsonii'') * Bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') * Northern goshawk (''Accipiter gentilis'')

Flora

Notable flora include: * Sitka spruce (''Picea sitchensis'') * Western hemlock (''Tsuga heterophylla'') * Red alder (''Alnus rubra'') * Mountain hemlock (''Tsuga mertensiana'') * Alaska yellow cedar (''Callitropsis nootkatensis'') * Western redcedar (''Thuja plicata'') * Sitka alder (''Alnus alnobetula'') * Devil's club (''Oplopanax horridus'') * Stink currant (''Ribes bracteosum'')

Research

The Maybeso Experimental Forest is a landmark site for research purposes because it was the location of the first large-scale clearcut operation in Southeast Alaska. Most studies regarding forest management and

silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, and quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests and wo ...

are still ongoing, and are expected to be completed by 2074. However, initial findings suggest that while forest regeneration has been generally healthy, the structure of the second-growth forest is "far from uniform." Most research conducted thus far has focused on the effects of clearcutting on anadromous salmonid spawning habitat.

Pink salmon Pink salmon or humpback salmon (''Oncorhynchus gorbuscha'') is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon. The scientific species name is based on the Russian common name fo ...

chum salmon The chum salmon (''Oncorhynchus keta''), also known as dog salmon or keta salmon, is a species of anadromous salmonid fish from the genus '' Oncorhynchus'' (Pacific salmon) native to the coastal rivers of the North Pacific and the Beringian ...

coho salmon The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientific species n ...

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia an ...

cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout is a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus ''Oncorhynchus'', it is one of the Pacific ...

, and

Dolly Varden trout The Dolly Varden trout (''Salvelinus malma'') is a species of salmonid fish native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. It belongs to the genus ''Salvelinus'', or true chars, which includes 51 recognized spe ...

all spawn within the Maybeso watershed. Clearcutting has had significant effects on salmonid spawning habitat due to the influx of

large woody debris Large woody debris (LWD) are the logs, sticks, branches, and other wood that falls into streams and rivers. This debris can influence the flow and the shape of the stream channel. Large woody debris, grains, and the shape of the bed of the strea ...

in various

habitats In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

. Large-scale logging operations have increased the amount of large woody debris, and clearcutting has also increased the scale and frequency of landslides, which further increases the amount of woody debris. Without large trees in the

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ...

, large woody debris is unimpeded in entering the streams within the watershed, and studies show that "half of the LWD in clear-cut channels was recruited during and immediately after logging." This influx of large woody debris within stream channels greatly influences the formation of step structures, which are critical features of salmonid spawning habitats. Studies show that "landslides and debris flows are the dominant channel-altering processes in headwater streams and remove the step profile," and increases in channel

events can have long-term consequences throughout a watershed. Large woody debris is also linked with healthier benthic invertebrates within a watershed. Previously logged areas have been linked to benthos with "increased richness, densities and biomass relative to old growth types," and maintaining a source of woody debris as well as red alder within a clearcut riparian zone leads to healthier benthic invertebrates in the long-term. Ultimately, the Maybeso Experimental Forest is a landmark site of

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific ...

on the effects of clearcutting on an

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

. The significance of the effects of clearcutting on local flora and fauna is controversial, with differing interpretations of the findings of past and present research. However, it is evident that clearcutting has significantly altered the structure and function of the Maybeso watershed. More research is required to draw broader conclusions.

References

{{reflist United States Forest Service Tongass National Forest