Alaskan Lumberjack Competitions

One of the tourist attractions in Alaska is the competition between teams of lumberjacks. The timber industry has long been important to Alaska. My father's family were timber men also. My grandfather owned a sawmill operation in the Appalachians. There they used horses and mules to move the logs, but in Alaska, they're often floated down streams and rivers.

With so much timber being cut each year, there's concern that conservation and reforestation practices weren't started early enough, but Alaska has been blessed with conditions that foster growth. Much of Southeastern Alaska makes up part of the Tongass National Forest, which is really a nearly 17 million acre rainforest. There's also the Chugach of almost 5 million acres, making it the United States' second largest national forest. These are part of what make Alaska so beautiful.

Lumberjacking was even more necessary before the days of heavy equipment. The competitions include things like sawing, chopping, climbing, log rolling, etc. The shows are fast paced, and the feats look easier than they are. To watch the games is almost like being transported to an old-fashioned lumber camp.

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