The wood products industry for many years had the luxury of having a low cost, seemingly endless supply of raw material. Because of this there was little incentive to make better use of the forest through higher yields or use of low grade logs. Emphasis was aimed at maximizing productivity and minimizing production costs without much regard to how well the raw material was utilized.

Published Annually by the Ames Forestry Club

A cooperative aid agreement was arranged during the summer, 1974, between the Department of Forestry at Iowa State University and the Pacific Forest and Range Experiment Station of the U.S. Forest Service to prepare a state-of-the-arts report on outdoor recreation in Alaska. In addition, a recreation research project* is to be conducted to provide information for recreation planners and managers in making resource decisions. As project leader, it was necessary for me to spend considerable time in Alaska, familiarizing myself with the existing programs in resources so that I could prepare the state-of-the-arts report and make recommendations regarding a recreation program for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska.