Story Created:
Jul 2, 2009 at 10:28 AM AKDT
Story Updated:
Jul 2, 2009 at 10:28 AM AKDT
The federal government has designated a portion of the Tongass National Forest as an experimental forest.
The National Forest Service says the 25,000-acre Heen Latinee (heen la-TEE'-nee) Experimental Forest, covering a 10-by-7-mile section of land 30 miles north of Juneau, stretches from glaciers to saltwater.
A focus of research will be how climate change affects forest resources, including timber, carbon sequestration and salmon habitat.
The nearly 17 million-acre Tongass covers most of southeast Alaska and is the largest temperate rain forest in the world.
Heen Latinee is a Tlingit name that means "River Watcher. The area will be part of a nationwide network of more than 80 experimental forests and grasslands.
