<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <STYLE type=text/css>DIV { MARGIN: 0px } </STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3020" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think you are correct Steve that there are still quite a few Sitka Spruce trees around. I'm really not up on facts and figures, but I'm pretty sure that a majority of its original range has been cut. I'm sure still that there is plenty for instrument makers, etc., but my understanding is that at least in the recent past most Sitka cut had been going to Asia (I know Japan for a fact) to be made into plywood for use in concrete forms for construction. What a waste! I don't know if this is still the case.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif">I went to Alaska this past August on a cruise and we saw hundreds of thousands of acres with millions of Sitka Sruce trees that are on Federal land with no logging  permitted at this time.  Some of those trees were only 30 feet tall and 200 - 300 years old, others were 70 - 100 feet tall and taller.  In the future as the government allows limited logging - there should be plenty to go around. The biggest problem with most that we saw is that they are growing on very steep mountainsides with virtually no access from land and treacherous water and no real beach to approach from the water. <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff>Steve Grattan</FONT></STRONG><BR></DIV> <DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif"> <DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif">----- Original Message ----<BR> <DIV>I think I exaggerated its growth range. I love the Denali so much that my brain got in front of my fingers! You're right of course. If Del is the only one of us concerned, maybe we all need to be a bit more concerned. I haven't heard of any attempts in the past 10-15 years to control the cutting, conserve, or replant anything but Douglas. Just a question when I see such beautiful flitches.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Paul</DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>