Southeast Alaska is a land of rain forests, salmon streams and glaciers, all made possible by the wealth of precipitation driven in off the Gulf of Alaska. The Inside Passage has the highest annual precipitation averages in the state as well as the highest average temperatures. Rubber boots are worn so frequently that they're known as "Alaska tennis shoes" and "Sitka slippers."

Arc Wood & Timbers is based out of Southeast Alaska for two fundamental reasons: one, the climate provides an ideal environment for sustainable, high-grade old growth trees which produce top quality material from Spruce, Hemlock and Cedar; and two, natural regeneration is abundant, which allows 2nd growth forests to thrive.

The climate of Alaska provides a unique growing environment for the native Sitka Spruce, Alaska Hemlock, and Cedar species. Due to climatic factors, trees in Southeast Alaska grow two to three months a year. This growing pattern creates a tight grain structure, which often exceeds 25 to 30 grains per inch. These trees are prized for their durability, usefulness and beauty.

Due to the unique growing season and weather patterns within the temperate rain forest of Southeast Alaska, new design values of a higher structural grade have been created for the species of timber that grow solely in Southeast Alaska. As a result of the work conducted by the Ketchikan Wood Technology Center (KWTC) and Western Wood Products Association (WWPA), the Alaskan Species have been recognized as a unique species by the American Lumber Standards Committee.

This new data opens the door to a multitude of new options for architects and structural engineers when designing structural wood elements requiring heavy loads, spans and modulus of elasticity. Arc takes great pride in providing material to builders, designers, and architects that push the envelope in architectural ingenuity and resourcefulness.

The climate of Southeast Alaska also provides a unique ability to naturally regenerate 2nd growth forests. Natural regeneration is so abundant in this area, that many new trees quickly replace the harvested forests. Many harvested areas require thinning by the Forestry Department to allow for healthy re-growth after the first 15 years. After 50 years, the second growth stand of trees in Southeast Alaska will have more timber volume per acre than the original old growth stand that previously stood there.

According to the production rates applied in the Tongass National Forest, 2nd growth stands produce wood volume at a level nearly double the USDA Forest Service minimum standard for commercial timberland. The natural regeneration characteristics prevalent in Southeast Alaska, combined with the 1997 Tongass Land Management Plan which regulates and restricts schedules for timber harvest over the next 100 years, provides an environmentally sustainable landscape for salvaging and harvesting high-grade timbers.

Alaskan Species Lumber Design Values (2005)