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Alaska’s Changing Environment

Alaska’s Changing Arctic: Trends in Arctic Policy Series

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Alaska’s Changing Wildfire Environment

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Alaska's Changing Wildfire Environment

ACWE Cover Photo

"Alaska's Changing Wildfire Environment 2.0" provides an overview of Alaska’s vast, complex, and changing wildfire environment. The report was released in 2025 and highlights recent wildfire trends in Alaska, their impacts to humans and wildlife, and the strong relationship between wildfire managers and scientists to improve fire-related decision making. It updates key long-term wildfire trends and highlights the changes and impacts that have emerged or accelerated over the past five years.

 

ACWE 2.0 headlines

In the five years since release of the first report, wildfire activity in Alaska has continued to change and become less predictable as rapidly increasing temperatures and longer growing seasons alter the state's environment. 

In 2022, over a million acres burned in southwest Alaska, a region where wildfires have historically been rare. In 2023, managers on Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge introduced an experimental fire management plan to protect carbon stored in ice-rich permafrost. In 2024, fires in the Fairbanks North Star Borough resulted in evacuations and burned more acres than any year since 2004.

Spring 2025, low snow in southern Alaska prompted the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection to shift the start date of wildland fire season, and accompanying burn permit requirements, from April 1 to March 17 in some areas. This year’s low snow contributes to a long term trend toward earlier snow off in spring — which is linked to greater likelihood of larger than normal wildfire seasons — and lengthening wildfire seasons.

 

Download ACWE 2.0 (2025)

Download Graphics

Download ACWE 1.0 (2020)

 

Background information

This is the second edition of Alaska’s Changing Wildfire Environment, highlighting recent wildfire trends in Alaska, their impacts to humans and wildlife, and how science can improve wildfire management decisions. We published the first ACWE in 2020, and it was a popular resource that provided Alaskans with timely, reliable, and understandable information. For more information on these wildfire topics email afsc.info@alaska.edu.

Who are we?

This report was created by the Alaska Fire Science Consortium, a member of the Joint Fire Science Program's Fire Science Exchange Network and part of the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. AFSC's Zav Grabinski was the science lead of Alaska's Changing Wildfire Environment and also contributed to many analyses. AFSC's Heather McFarland coordinated the effort, designed and laid out the publication and science graphics, and did much of the writing and editing.

Reviewers

T. Buxbaum, L. Coyle, J. Hrobak, E. Ipsen, R. Jandt, E. Lescak, N. McDonald, E. Miller, L. Saperstein, J. Schmidt, H. Shook, H. Strader, R. Thoman, S. Trainor, A. York, E. Yurcich

Cite this report

Grabinski, Z. & H. R. McFarland. Alaska’s Changing Wildfire Environment 2.0 (2025). Alaska Fire Science Consortium, International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. www.frames.gov/afsc/acwe

 

 

Introduction

Although Alaska's wildfire seasons vary from year to  year, an escalating pattern of fire has emerged as rapidly increasing temperatures and longer growing seasons alter the state's environment. Both tundra and boreal forest regions are seeing larger and more frequent fires. The impacts of these fires are felt across the state.

The wildfire environment of Alaska presents many unique opportunities and challenges. Alaska's fire management agencies are adapting quickly to changing wildfire patterns. The use of remote sensing tools, such as data from satellites, and science-based decision making have been critical components of their response. 

This publication aims to convey the rapidly changing patterns of wildfire in Alaska by examining the phases of fire. Patterns emerging in the 21st century are the primary focus, with earlier histories of management, climate, and fire being drawn upon for context. For more information on environmental trends in Alaska, see Alaska's Changing Environment.

Key messages 

•Wildfire is a natural process in Alaska and is important to forest and ecosystem health.
•More acres are burning as the climate warms, with most of the increase occurring in the biggest fire seasons.
•Alaska’s fire environment is vast, complex, and unique.
•Managing wildfire in Alaska requires advanced planning and cooperation among many agencies.
•Fire management relies on science to effectively plan and implement fire management efforts.

Fire History Timeline AK
Contributors and Data Sources
  • Zav Grabinski and Heather McFarland, UAF Alaska Fire Science Consortium • Data source Alaska Interagency Coordination Center

 

 

Fire Phases

Alaska’s rapidly changing climate profoundly impacts the state's ecosystems and fire regimes. Earlier snow melt, delayed winters, higher temperatures, more frequent lightning strikes, and changing vegetation are altering Alaska's wildfire environment. Temperatures in Alaska over the past 50 years rose at about twice the average global rate.  Unlike many changing aspects of Alaska's environment, there is no clear trend in wind in the Interior. 

Shaping fire

The Alaska fire season, particularly in the interior region of the state, has four phases. Early fire season starts just after snow melt. It is typically driven by dead grass ignited by humans and spread by wind. The peak of the fire season is driven by long warm days around solstice, which dry out subsurface fuels (known as duff) that can then be ignited by lightning. Later in July, if temperatures remain high and precipitation is low, drought may extend and expand the fire season. Finally, as the season winds down in fall, the cooler nighttime temperatures and declining day length normally slow fire activity. In recent decades, Alaska has seen increasing variability in these phases, creating new challenges for fire managers and communities. Learn more about Alaska's fire phases on pages 5–8.

 

Figure 2. Fire Phases
Seasonal Fire Phases - Average acres burned in Alaska each week from 2005– 2024. Colors show what drives fire activity. The greatest fire activity occurs during the duff-driven period typically taking place from mid-June to early July.

 

Spring fire - wind

Fire season begins in April, typically before full green-up, when the below ground soil and duff is still frozen. Dead grasses and surface litter are the most readily available fuels. With these limited fuels, wind is the key driver of fire activity. Fire can spread and grow rapidly, but usually with low severity because it cannot burn deeply into the moist and frozen duff. New research, however, shows that years with early snow melt are more likely to result in above average sized fire seasons.  
 

Early season wildfires are often the result of human-caused ignitions, primarily from outdoor recreation activities and debris burning, which can lead to unintentional fire starts. These preventable fires are usually close to population centers and receive aggressive suppression response.

SHORTER SNOW SEASON - The snow season is now generally about two weeks shorter than it was several decades ago. The greatest shift occurs in the spring. The spring date when half of the state has no snow is now 11 days earlier compared to only three days later in autumn. This trend is pushing the fire season earlier and later into the year.
Shorter Snow Season - The snow season is now generally about two weeks shorter than it was several decades ago. The greatest shift occurs in the spring. The spring date when half of the state has no snow is now 11 days earlier compared to only three days later in autumn. This trend is pushing the fire season earlier and later into the year.

 

Peak season - duff

In northern latitudes, a surface layer of slowly decomposing moss, lichen, and litter — called duff — is often about a foot deep. Duff in boreal and tundra landscapes generally accounts for more biomass below ground than above ground. This duff layer creates a unique fuel bed where wildfire can burn deep below the surface and smolder for days or weeks. Deeper duff layers are usually too moist to ignite, but during rare conditions, they can dry out and become flammable. Duff also serves to insulate the underlying permafrost from summer's heat. 


Fire activity may greatly increase in June as long, sunny days quickly dry out duff fuels, and lightning storms peak in frequency. Dry duff easily spreads fire and can make burns difficult to control. This duff-driven phase of the fire season is typically when peak fire activity occurs.

Figure 4. Duff Profile

Lightning and peak fire season

Lightning is most common during June and July. In most years, and all years with a substantial fire season, the majority of acres burned are caused by lightning. These fires are often in remote locations where managers can allow fires to serve their ecological role without directly impacting human life or property. Human-caused wildfires tend to take place closer to communities, receive swift suppression action to minimize growth, and occur earlier in the year than fires ignited by lightning. 
 

Historically, lightning was most common in the eastern Interior.  Now, more lightning is occurring in the western Interior where lightning has more than doubled in the past 10 years.

LIGHTNING-CAUSED FIRES PEAK IN LATE JUNE From 2012–2024, Alaska saw on average 120,000 lightning strikes per summer. This graph shows how the number of lighting strikes closely relates to the number of lightning caused fires each week. In early summer, when conditions are drier, more fires start per lightning strike than later in July when it is often wetter. But lightning can ignite new fires even late in the season, as in 2023 when over 19,000 strikes on July 24 ignited 30 fires, including fires that prompted
Lightning-Caused Fires Peak in Late June - From 2012–2024, Alaska saw on average 120,000 lightning strikes per summer. This graph shows how the number of lighting strikes closely relates to the number of lightning caused fires each week. In early summer, when conditions are drier, more fires start per lightning strike than later in July when it is often wetter. But lightning can ignite new fires even late in the season, as in 2023 when over 19,000 strikes on July 24 ignited 30 fires, including fires that prompted evacuation recommendations in the Interior.
FIRES STARTED BY HUMANS/LIGHTNING Although human activity ignites more wildfires, lightning-caused fires burn more acres. The left graph shows that humans start more wildfires than lightning. The right graph shows that lightning burns more acres most years than human-caused fires.
Fires Started by Humans/Lightning -Although human activity ignites more wildfires, lightning-caused fires burn more acres. The left graph shows that humans start more wildfires than lightning. The right graph shows that lightning burns more acres most years than human-caused fires.

 

Late summer - drought 

As lightning diminishes toward the end of July, fewer fires are ignited. Existing fires may grow during the drought-driven stage of the fire season if late summer rains are sparse. Fires during extreme drought can be difficult to extinguish and may even result in fires burning in deep duff layers through winter.

SUMMERS ARE GETTING HOTTER Summer temperatures across Alaska have been increasing since 1970 (map). A typical summer nowadays is close to what the warmest summers were prior to the 1970s. Since 1925, six of the 10 warmest summers (June to August) in the primary wildfire regions of the state all occurred in the past 20 years, whereas the 10 coldest summers all occurred before the mid-1980s (graph).

 

SUMMERS ARE GETTING HOTTER Summer temperatures across Alaska have been increasing since 1970 (map). A typical summer nowadays is close to what the warmest summers were prior to the 1970s. Since 1925, six of the 10 warmest summers (June to August) in the primary wildfire regions of the state all occurred in the past 20 years, whereas the 10 coldest summers all occurred before the mid-1980s (graph).
Summers are getting Hotter - Summer temperatures across Alaska have been increasing since 1970 (map). A typical summer nowadays is close to what the warmest summers were prior to the 1970s. Since 1925, six of the 10 warmest summers (June to August) in the primary wildfire regions of the state all occurred in the past 20 years, whereas the 10 coldest summers all occurred before the mid-1980s 

 

VARIABLE PRECIPITATION Although precipitation is much more variable than temperature, annual precipitation has increased in all regions of the state since 1970 (map). Recent summers have been particularly wet in Interior Alaska (graph). Nine out of Interior Alaska's 10 driest summers occurred before 1980. Research indicates, however, that precipitation would have to increase by about 7-10% per degree of temperature increase to offset the increased fire danger due to warming temperatures.
Variable Precipitation - Although precipitation is much more variable than temperature, annual precipitation has increased in all regions of the state since 1970 (map). Recent summers have been particularly wet in Interior Alaska (graph). Nine out of Interior Alaska's 10 driest summers occurred before 1980. Research indicates, however, that precipitation would have to increase by about 7-10% per degree of temperature increase to offset the increased fire danger due to warming temperatures.

 

Fall - diurnal

Fire season in Alaska is typically pushed to a close by shorter days with lower solar radiation. As nighttime temperatures drop and relative humidity increases, fire has difficulty spreading. The past two decades, however, have included notable late-season fire events in August or later, due to relatively high temperatures, extreme winds, low precipitation, and abundant fuels.

 

LONGER FIRE SEASON Alaska's wildfire season is getting longer. Over the past 40 years, the first large fire (1,000+ acres) of the season starts earlier, and the last large fire starts later. In 2006, State of Alaska fire managers changed the official start date of the fire season from May 1 to April 1. This shift reduces accidental ignitions by requiring burn permits for small and large scale burning on private and state land. In busy fire seasons, such as 2019, the fire season may extend into fall.
Longer Fire Season - Alaska's wildfire season is getting longer. Over the past 40 years, the first large fire (1,000+ acres) of the season starts earlier, and the last large fire starts later. In 2006, State of Alaska fire managers changed the official start date of the fire season from May 1 to April 1. This shift reduces accidental ignitions by requiring burn permits for small and large scale burning on private and state land. In busy fire seasons, such as 2019, the fire season may extend into fall.
WARMER NIGHTS Nighttime temperatures are increasing. Alaska now experiences many more warm nights compared to the early part of the 20th century. This is especially true for Interior communities like Fairbanks. The five summers with the warmest nights (yellow dots on graph) all occurred in the past 20 years, whereas the five summers with the coldest nights (turquoise dots) occurred before 1950. Warming nighttime temperatures are especially impactful in Alaska, where the long daylengths of midsummer can allow
Contributors and Data Sources
  • Zav Grabinski and Heather McFarland, UAF Alaska Fire Science Consortium • Data source Alaska Interagency Coordination Center
  • Brian Brettschneider, NOAA National Weather Service • Data source National Snow and Ice Data Center
  • Zav Grabinski, AFSC • Data source National Interagency Fire Center
  • Rick Thoman, UAF Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy • Data source NOAA NCEI & Berkeley Earth
  • Rick Thoman, Zav Grabinski, ACCAP • Data source ERA5 & NOAA/NCEI &NWS
  • Rick Thoman, Zav Grabinski, ACCAP • Data source NOAA/NCEI &NWS

 

 

Decades of Fire

While wildfires are a natural part of Alaska’s ecosystem, the frequency of million-acre fire seasons over the past few decades is unprecedented (see graph on page nine). Few places in Interior Alaska are untouched by wildfire, as demonstrated by these fire perimeter maps showing wildfires that burned over three 20-year periods. Over the past two decades, increasing fire activity on treeless tundra and hot and dry conditions enabling fires in coastal boreal forest demonstrate that wildfire in Alaska is changing.

While wildfires are a natural part of Alaska’s ecosystem, the frequency of million-acre fire seasons over the past few decades is unprecedented (see graph on page nine). Few places in Interior Alaska are untouched by wildfire, as demonstrated by these fire perimeter maps showing wildfires that burned over three 20-year periods. Over the past two decades, increasing fire activity on treeless tundra and hot and dry conditions enabling fires in coastal boreal forest demonstrate that wildfire in Alaska is changing.
Decades of Fire - While wildfires are a natural part of Alaska’s ecosystem, the frequency of million-acre fire seasons over the past few decades is unprecedented (see graph on page nine). Few places in Interior Alaska are untouched by wildfire, as demonstrated by these fire perimeter maps showing wildfires that burned over three 20-year periods. Over the past two decades, increasing fire activity on treeless tundra and hot and dry conditions enabling fires in coastal boreal forest demonstrate that wildfire in Alaska is changing.
Interior Boreal Forest - The majority of fire activity in Alaska occurs in the boreal forest between the Alaska and Brooks mountain ranges.
1965-1984 Fire Perimeters - Looking back 40 to 60 years, wildfires burned about one half (12.9 million acres) of the area they consumed in the current 20-year period.
1985-2004 Fire Perimeters - Wildfires burned 23.4 million acres during the1985–2004 time period. In 2004, 6.59 million acres burned, 28% of the total acreage burned over that 20-year period.
2005-2024 Fire Perimeters - From 2005–2024, wildfire in Alaska burned 26.1 million acres (big map), more than any other two decades.

Southwest Alaska • fire expanding to new regions 

In 2022, 1.2 million acres burned in southwest Alaska — more than double the total area burned in the region since the 1950s. Smoke impacted health and transportation, with air quality reaching 700 ppm PM2.5 as far away as the Nome hospital. Early snow off and intense drought followed by massive lightning storms were major drivers of the fire season. These fires are among the first of their kind in the region and could signal a changing fire regime in duff-rich landscapes that were historically too wet and cool to support such large burns.

Picture of St Mary Fire
Credit

Air tanker drops retardant near St. Mary's. East Fork Fire, June 2022. Photo by BLM AFS

Wildfire walk  • interpretive trail

On July 16, 2021, a wildfire burned 3.5 acres of University of Alaska Fairbanks land and came within 100 yards of a neighborhood. The Yankovich Road Fire site now serves as an educational opportunity for people interested in seeing the effects of an Alaska wildfire. A mile long interpretive trail was installed in 2024. The Wildfire Walk describes the fire, the relationship between wildfire and the boreal forest, fire science and environmental change, and wildfire prevention. Signs feature local art by Klara Maisch whose centerpiece watercolor helps people imagine the forest 50 years after the burn.

Wildfire Walk Tour
Credit

The Wildfire Walk interpretive trail to the 2021 Yankovich Road Fire. Photo by Chynna Lockett

Canada wildfires • record setting burns in the boreal region 

During the hot and dry summer of 2023, Canada experienced an unprecedented wildfire season that consumed more than 37 million acres, forced evacuations, and strained firefighting resources. Alaska wildland firefighters were assigned to help battle the blazes, underscoring the growing challenge of intensifying fires in boreal and subarctic regions, and the need for international collaboration. Although wildfires have long shaped Canada’s forests, these recent seasons point to more frequent and severe burns in a rapidly warming climate.

Sat view of Canada Wildfire
Credit

Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite image from June 28, 2023 in Quebec.

Despite variability from season to season, evidence indicates that wildfire are burning more acres and expanding into new areas of the state. The increasing area burned, along with fires that are more frequent, survive over winter, or reburn the same location after just a few years are consistent with the predicted effects of climate warming. This has statewide implications including increased fire risk for people, property, and resources.

MORE ACRES BURNED Area burned by wildfire varies tremendously from year to year. Temperature, drought, and snow melt date contribute to this variation. The past 20 years have experienced a clear shift toward more frequent large fire seasons with millions of acres burned, although years with relatively few burned acres are still common.
More Acres Burned - Area burned by wildfire varies tremendously from year to year. Temperature, drought, and snow melt date contribute to this variation. The past 20 years have experienced a clear shift toward more frequent large fire seasons with millions of acres burned, although years with relatively few burned acres are still common. 

 

HOW MUCH OF ALASKA BURNS? These red circles show the proportion of Alaska, relative to the size of the state, that burned each decade. 2015-2024 marked the largest decade of fire on record with about 14 million acres burned, amounting to nearly 4% of the total area of Alaska burned in a 10-year-period.
How Much of Alaska Burns? - These red circles show the proportion of Alaska, relative to the size of the state, that burned each decade. 2015-2024 marked the largest decade of fire on record with about 14 million acres burned, amounting to nearly 4% of the total area of Alaska burned in a 10-year-period.
Contributors and Data Sources
  • Zav Grabinski and Heather McFarland, UAF Alaska Fire Science Consortium • Data source Alaska Interagency Coordination Center

 

 

Fire Impacts

The impacts of wildfire on people and wildlife are complex. Some effects such as infrastructure damage, loss of life and injury, fire suppression costs, and health problems related to smoke are trackable. Habitat change, impacts to hunting and fishing, and public anxiety are more difficult to document. Alaskans are particularly vulnerable given that 73% of housing is within the wildland-urban interface.

Fire near communities

2019 was a landmark year for close-to-home fires. Suppression cost at least $300 million, and two fires were particularly impactful. The late season, rapidly moving McKinley Fire destroyed 50 homes, 3 businesses, 84 outbuildings, and a major power transmission line near Willow. While no buildings were destroyed during Kenai Peninsula's Swan Lake Fire, fire suppression was 
a monumental effort that lasted nearly 150 days, cost an estimated $49 million, and required over 3,000 personnel. 
In 2022, extremely dry spring conditions and severe lightning resulted in the fastest start to the Alaska fire season on record. By mid-June over 1 million acres had burned. Wildfires prompted the voluntary relocation of the majority of St. Mary's community members. Given the remote location, more than 60 children, Elders, and vulnerable residents flew to Bethel and were housed at the National Guard Armory. In 2024, the McDonald Fire complex burned about 177,000 acres, becoming the largest wildfire in Fairbanks North Star Borough since 2004. Also in 2024, over 100 residents along the Elliot Highway were evacuated due to the Grapefruit Complex. 

More smoke

Smoke has increased alongside big wildfire seasons, posing a health hazard. During active seasons, smoke particulates dominate the airborne particles in Interior Alaska. Beyond public health, smoke can limit visibility making air travel impossible, disproportionately affecting rural areas serviced only by plane.
Wildfire smoke contains particles small enough to travel deep into the lungs and bloodstream. This can cause serious lung and heart problems. Children, elderly, and those with existing health conditions are most at risk. Wildland firefighters also face significant exposure 
to smoke, and the long-term health effects are poorly documented but concerning.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation helps manage smoke-related health risks with near real-time air quality advisories, regional air quality forecasts, and recommended safety precautions and activity levels.
 

SMOKY DAYS Smoke-free summers were common in Fairbanks before 2000, but they have occurred only twice since. From 2022– 2024, for the first time three consecutive summers had more than 100 hours with smoke thick enough to reduce visibility to six miles or less, with moderate or worse air quality. Smoke is a less frequent problem in Anchorage, but 2019 was by far its smokiest summer.
Smokey Days - Smoke-free summers were common in Fairbanks before 2000, but they have occurred only twice since. From 2022– 2024, for the first time three consecutive summers had more than 100 hours with smoke thick enough to reduce visibility to six miles or less, with moderate or worse air quality. Smoke is a less frequent problem in Anchorage, but 2019 was by far its smokiest summer.

 

Fish and wildlife 

Many wildlife species depend on wildfire to maintain habitat diversity. Impacts to fish and wildlife depend on the species, time of year, location, vegetation burned, and the severity and extent of the fire. In summer, moose can benefit from the shade and predator protection of birch and aspen that grow after a fire, and in winter, highly desirable willow is often available after a fire. Black-backed woodpeckers strongly prefer recently burned areas. They feast on white-spotted sawyers and other wood-boring beetles that infest dead trees. Woodpeckers will stay in a burn for about eight years before finding another area to colonize. 

Caribou and lichen

Caribou avoid burned areas, especially in winter. Studies found that wintering caribou avoid severe burns for nearly 30 years after a fire. This aversion is linked to their heavy reliance on lichen for food. Increased fire frequency in boreal and tundra regions can burn large swaths of lichen-dominated ground cover, which can take 80 years or more to recover. Warming temperatures can lead to changes that tip forests from black spruce — that often host lichen mats in their understory — to birch and aspen dominance. 

Fish

Fish populations may be temporarily affected after fire due to reduced water quality and habitat disturbance. However, as streams recover, added nutrients, woody debris, and altered flow patterns can foster rich feeding grounds for salmon and other fish over 
time. How quickly a stream bounces back depends on factors like fire severity, the type of vegetation burned, and rainfall patterns following the fire. Fish in Alaska’s boreal and Arctic regions may face more frequent habitat disturbances as fire regimes escalate, necessitating adaptive management of fisheries and watersheds and a focus on maintaining healthy riparian buffers.

Contributors and Data Sources
  • Rick Thoman, Zav Grabinski, ACCAP • Data source NOAA/NCEI &NWS

A

 

Management Corner

 

Interagency management 

Alaska's fire protection strategy is determined by the Alaska Interagency Wildland Fire Management Plan. The state is divided into four fire management options: critical, full, modified, and limited. These categories are determined by land management agencies and reevaluated annually. Fire managers prioritize their initial response to new fires based on these levels and the firefighting resources currently available. 

These response levels may be overridden when local conditions, risk factors, or resource availability warrants.

Alaska Fire Management Options

3 Agencies, 375 million acres

Three wildland fire protection agencies provide fire suppression across most of the 375 million acres of Alaska. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska Fire Service, the State of Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, and the US Forest Service respond to fires within their protection areas per the Alaska Master Cooperative Wildland Fire Management and Stafford Act Agreement. The agreement allows the protection agencies to work with jurisdictional agencies like the Bureau of Indian Affairs, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and others to manage wildfires consistent with their mission on the lands they are responsible for and thus reduces duplication of effort for fire suppression throughout Alaska.

Agency coverage areas in Alaska

Village-based firefighters

Alaska has long relied on emergency firefighters from rural communities hired on an as-needed basis to respond quickly to wildfires. These jobs are also an important source of income in rural communities. 
BLM Alaska Fire Service began awarding contracts for Type 2 firefighting hand crews based in rural Alaska in 2020. Contractors offer better pay, more hours and new opportunities compared to Emergency Firefighters. In 2024, nine contract crews were mobilized to 31 incidents across Alaska and the Lower 48. Crews worked a combined 310 days, compared to about 16 days annually for past Emergency Firefighters. In 2023, contract crews were paid almost $6 million in wages and reimbursable expenses.

State of Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (AK-DOF) employs approximately 300 Emergency Firefighters each fire season from across Alaska. In 2024, AK-DOF held Red Card Class trainings — a certification allowing firefighters to work in wildland fire operations — in McGrath, Kalskag, Quinhagak, Chevak, Hooper Bay, and Nikolai. Many people also attended AK-DOF's Basic Wildland Firefighter Academy program in Chugiak — a paid, 10-day intensive training academy. Beyond these opportunities, the Emergency Firefighter program employs fuel mitigation crews to work in their local areas and hires crews for suppression during the fire season.

Contributors and Data Sources
  • Zav Grabinski and Heather McFarland, UAF Alaska Fire Science Consortium • Data source Alaska Interagency Coordination Center
  • Hudson Plass and Beth Ipsen, BLM Alaska Fire Service; Lily Coyle, State of Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection

 

 

Science in Management

Alaska's wildfire environment is unlike any other. Boasting the largest state, the lowest population density, the most public land, and complete isolation from the continental United States, Alaska needs specific fire management tools to meet its unique needs. Alaska's fire managers partner with scientists to improve the scientific basis 
for management responses to changes in fire and climate conditions, including developing applications of remotely sensed data, evaluating the effectiveness of fuel treatments, and obtaining the most accurate geospatial data for decision support.

Joint Fire Science Program

The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) is a federal program that funds research and delivery of fire science to meet emerging needs of fire and land managers and policymakers at local to national levels. The Alaska Fire Science Consortium (AFSC) is one of 15 regional Fire Science Exchanges funded by JFSP. AFSC brings together managers, practitioners, and researchers to address Alaska's specific fire management needs and challenges. Events such as AFSC's spring and fall fire science workshops help researchers better understand the evolving science needs of fire managers and inform fire managers of new research results that can help with decision making.  

University of Alaska

Students and researchers at the University of Alaska have focused on wildland fire science topics for decades, supported by the National Science Foundation and other agencies. At the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) campus, the Long Term Ecological Research program has been studying the boreal forest since 1987, including tracking the lasting impacts of fires like the 1983 Rosie Creek Fire. Within the International Arctic Research Center, the Alaska Fire Science Consortium and other groups work with Alaska's land managers to develop climate and fire science products to meet their unique needs. Collaborative projects with researchers from UAF, the University of Alaska Anchorage, and other institutions are advancing many topics relevant to fire management in the North. This ground-breaking research includes: 

•Better fire detection algorithms.
•Seasonal predictions of fire danger.
•Improved classifications of vegetation and fuels.
•Community concerns around wildland fire and smoke. 
•Designing effective fuel treatments.
•Understanding extreme heat events.
•Identifying weather patterns associated with lightning storms.
•Workforce development issues.

Fuel Breaks

One of the best ways to protect Alaska communities from wildfire is by creating fuel breaks between populated areas and wild lands. Shaded fuel breaks in boreal black spruce forests may reduce fire potential for over 14 years by reducing canopy density and ladder fuels. When these fuel treatments are present on public lands, research shows that nearby homeowners are more willing to spend time and money on improving their own defensible spaces.  

Evidence from a cooperative project led by UAF shows that fuel breaks can be a cost-effective tool for fire suppression. For example, when fuel breaks were tested by the Funny River (2014), Card Street (2015), and Nenana Ridge (2015) fires, treated areas had less intense surface fires. 

Fuel breaks can also expand tactical options and enhance the effectiveness of fire suppression measures. For example, they create efficient pathways to deploy hoses and sprinklers and make an opening so that water from aircraft can penetrate more effectively. These benefits were seen in the 2019 Shovel Creek and Swan Lake fires, and the 2023 Lost Horse Creek Fire in the Fairbanks subdivision of Haystack.

An online database tracking fuel breaks was released in fall 2020. This comprehensive database shows where fuel breaks are in relation to management categories and other geographic information. The resource provides a valuable tool in decision making and planning.  

Managers still have many questions about fuel breaks, including the best types of treatments for specific ecosystems, and how to maximize public support for installing a fuel break. Researchers are working with managers to help answer these questions.

Exposure Mapping

A new online map shows wildfire hazard potential for neighborhoods in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Whitehorse, Canada. The tool helps residents assess their risk and take steps like creating defensible space around homes.

Wildfire and Satellites

Satellite technology has transformed fire management in Alaska, where roadways and fire suppression resources are scarce relative to its size. Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) platforms provide critical information for fire detection, monitoring, and mapping. VIIRS passes  over Alaska frequently each day, and data are transmitted directly to receiving stations operated by UAF’s Geographic Information Network of Alaska. Within 25 minutes of an overpass, products are delivered directly to fire managers and integrated with their existing decision systems.

Refined fire detection algorithms for VIIRS are yielding advanced fire activity modeling and prediction. Other satellites such as Sentinel-2a and 2b, Landsat 8 and 9, and small satellites in the Planet Labs constellation are often used to map fires throughout the season. Satellite data are now used to assess factors associated with fire, such as soil moisture and vegetation composition across the entire state. Data and imagery from sensors on unoccupied aerial vehicles (drones) and planes also play a valuable role.

MONITORING WILDFIRE VIIRS sensors on polar-orbiting JPSS satellites are used for detecting and monitoring Alaska wildfires because they provide sufficient frequency and detail to support initial detection, daily decision-making, and incident mapping when other higher resolution products are not available.
Monitoring Wildfire - VIIRS sensors on polar-orbiting JPSS satellites are used for detecting and monitoring Alaska wildfires because they provide sufficient frequency and detail to support initial detection, daily decision-making, and incident mapping when other higher resolution products are not available.

 

Assessing Fire Danger

Reliable real-time weather data and accurate forecasting is essential to assessing wildfire risk. The Fire Weather Index System is used to create daily fire danger ratings across Alaska. The system, which is part of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System, estimates the moisture content in fine dead fuels and duff based on temperature, rain, relative humidity, and wind speed. 

FIRE DANGER Alaskans are likely familiar with the fire danger signs seen along roads, warning of the current level of fire risk. Those rankings come from the Fire Weather Index System. The index is used in Alaska and Canada and merges two other indices. •The Initial Spread Index takes into account the wind speed and the moisture of fine surface fuels like grass, moss, and shrubs. •The Buildup Index is a measure of available fuel on the landscape, incorporating the moisture of duff and seasonal drought.
Fire Danger - Alaskans are likely familiar with the fire danger signs seen along roads, warning of the current level of fire risk. Those rankings come from the Fire Weather Index System. The index is used in Alaska and Canada and merges two other indices.•The Initial Spread Index takes into account the wind speed and the moisture of fine surface fuels like grass, moss, and shrubs.•The Buildup Index is a measure of available fuel on the landscape, incorporating the moisture of duff and seasonal drought.
Contributors and Data Sources
  • Jennifer Jenkins, Bureau of Land Management; Jennifer Delamere, UAF Geographic Information Network of Alaska • Data source Geographic Information Network of Alaska
  • Heather McFarland and Zav Grabinski, AFSC

 

 

Wildland-Urban Interface

A 2024 report by Wildfire Risks to Communities found that homes in Alaska have, on average, greater wildfire risk than 78% of states in the US. The size of Alaska's wildland-urban interface between human development and undeveloped wilderness rapidly increased as the density of houses in wild lands increased from 2000 to 2010. Though these data have not been updated recently, wildfire managers believe that the trend has continued.  

Community Preparedness

It is important that Alaskans recognize the risk of wildfire and take action to protect themselves and their communities. Initiatives such as Firewise, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, and Ready, Set, Go help provide knowledge and resources so that individuals can collaborate to prepare for and respond to fires effectively as part of a fire adapted community. A new Wildfire Resilience Program at the Alaska Venture Fund is supporting Alaska communities in this work, as well as addressing needs related to structural fire preparedness and response in rural Alaska communities. 

Protection Plans

Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) describe wildfire hazard and mitigation strategies, including prioritized fuel reduction strategies and recommendations for homeowners to reduce risk of structural damage from fire. Collaboration is key to implementing successful CWPPs, and broad participation involving individuals, local and state governments, public land managers, fire management agencies, and community groups 
is the best way to develop effective plans. Local plans and ways to be involved can be viewed on the State of Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection website.

Firewise recommendations for home clearances

Alaska Firewise

Firewise is a collaboration between local, state, federal, and private agencies and organizations to promote wildfire safety. Community efforts such as Firewise task forces and multi-disciplinary Firewise boards rely on individuals collaborating with fire professionals, public land managers, and others to prepare for wildfires. Together they assess readiness for a community to withstand a wildfire, sponsor fire risk reduction events, and develop Community Wildfire Protection Plans. When communities follow Firewise activities, individual homeowners benefit through saved lives and property.

Contributors and Data Sources
  • Heather McFarland and Zav Grabinski, AFSC • Adapted from Kuhns, M. in Firewise Landscaping: The Basics