Alaska is rich in vegetables. There are two types of forests in the state: the interior forest and coastal forest. Inland forests are located around the river valleys of the interior and north to central and eastern Brooks Range. Most of the wood harvested mainly of willow and poplar, but most of the forest growth is stunted due to the short growing season and permafrost. Coastal forests on the other hand, start at the Panhandle and spread along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska and Kodiak Island. These forests are dense and usually consists of hemlock, cedar and fir. tundra vegetation is common to much of Alaska. Most of it consists of lichens, mosses different vineyards and blueberry crowberries. When these plants die, they decompose very slowly, mainly due to temperature and low humidity in the area. Year after year, old plants and build new plants struggle to grow through them. Tundra vegetation in other parts of Alaska may also include dwarf species of trees and a number of shrubs. The extensive grazing lands are found only in the Aleutian Islands. If you are looking for true arctic tundra with no trees or shrubs, then you can check out the gradient of the Arctic and the Seward Peninsula.There is also a wide variety of wildlife in an area the size of Alaska. Animals will always be deer, mountain goat, black bear and moose, all commonly found in Southeast Alaska. Go up further north and grizzly bears begin to appear. As it moves towards the hinterland, caribou, deer begin to replace the numbers. It is not uncommon to see caribou travel in herds of thousands. Polar bears are in the far north, and spend most of their time on ice packs hunting food. Exotic animals that have been introduced to Alaska include the Arctic reindeer, moose on some islands, musk oxen and bison. To conserve animal life on the peninsula, these animals are protected in wildlife ranges in the federal government. The wolves and foxes are also found in many parts of the state. Animals are hunted for their fur, mink and beaver. A number of species of birds also make Alaska their summer home or stay for the entire year. Some of these include ducks, geese and partridges. Grayling game fish are common and rainbow trout. commercial fish harvests depend mainly on cod, halibut and salmon. In fact, the king salmon is the fish of the state. Seafood is also abundant and a large industry is based on the harvest of shrimp, crabs and clams.
