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.

The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

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The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

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 colse to 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 generally willow and aspen but much of the forest increase 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, assorted mosses, cranberry vines and crowberries. When these plants die, they decay at a very slow rate generally 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 comprise dwarf species of trees and a number of bushes. The only allinclusive lands for grazing are found on the Aleutian Islands. If you're looking for true arctic tundra with in effect no trees or shrubs, then you can check out the Arctic slope and Seward Peninsula.

There is also a wide collection of animal life in an area the size of Alaska. The usual animals would be deer, mountain goats, black bears and moose, all ordinarily found in southeastern Alaska. Go up added 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 comprise 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 comprise the mink and beaver. A number of bird species also make Alaska their summer home or remain all year. Some of these comprise ducks, geese and grouse. The common game Fishes are Grayling and rainbow trout. industrial Fish harvests depend generally 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 approximately every region of Alaska. So much has been said about the gold that citizen 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 comprise leading minerals such as nickel, zinc and lead. Mineral deposits of the Gulf of Alaska comprise mercury, platinum and copper. Alaska, with its many bodies of water, also generates power through the output of hydroelectricity.

The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

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