Description

Climate warming is an important factor that has contributed to increases in the frequency and severity of wildfires and epidemic spruce bark beetle outbreaks in the boreal forest. These changes are likely to alter ecosystems, as well as the way Alaskans view and use their surrounding environment. A massive spruce bark beetle outbreak occurred on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska during the 1990s. Many residents and resource managers are concerned that past outbreaks have created novel hazardous fuel conditions and changed wildfire dynamics on the Kenai. At the same time, there has been a continued influx of people moving to the Kenai Peninsula, many of whom live in rural areas impacted by bark beetles.