Fire is a critical disturbance process in determining the structure and distribution of the boreal forest. Fire in the boreal forest typically replaces most of the dominant vegetation cover, liberates substantial carbon and other elements to the atmosphere and stream flow, and significantly changes the heat balance in the organic soil and permafrost layers. However, fire severity varies widely from year to year, day to day, and even from place to place within a single fire. It is important to characterize and predict the patterns of flammability and fire severity to model the effect of fire and global change on boreal ecosystems, to assess biomass burning emissions from the boreal system, and to manage fires effectively. The Forest Service Research Fire and Environmental Research Applications team, FERA, utilize the FrostFire experiment and other studies in Alaska to investigate patterns of vegetation cover, fuelbed characteristics, fire danger, biomass consumption, fire severity, and immediate effects. Fuelbed characteristics: an intensive biomass inventory was completed for all dead and live fuelbed components from the organic soil layers through the tree canopies. Characteristics related to flammability such as bulk density, size distribution, and leaf area index where used to classify the variety of fuelbeds across the watershed. Vegetation cover: vegetation was inventoried and classified on a 200-meter grid in the experimental watershed and supplemented by intensive sampling in each cover type. A cover type map was developed as a baseline for studies of biogenic emissions and fire effects, and to provide ground truth for evaluations of products of remote sensing. Fire danger: Fuel moisture, especially of the litter and organic soil layers that govern the extent and severity of fire was monitored and compared to fire weather indices of the Canadian and American danger rating systems. Weather stations were installed and related to frequent sampling of fuel moisture in the organic layer for the entire season in order to provide and test predictive equations based on meteorological time series. Biomass consumption: Intensive sampling of biomass consumption in each fuelbed component was done in order to improve predictive algorithms based on fuel moisture and fuelbed characteristics; and as a starting point for calculating air pollutant emissions and carbon mobilization. Fire severity: Biomass consumption and crown scorch was mapped and categorized from extensive ground-based sampling and from aerial photographs. The two methods are being compared and combined to provide a detailed map of fire severity across the watershed. Fire effects: The mortality, consumption, and tipover of vegetation has been inventoried and mapped. Changes in community structure and leaf area have been characterized in each cover type. Air pollutant emissions entrained in nighttime valley flows was also monitored. In summary, FERA has characterized and mapped the pattern of biomass consumption and immediate fire effects across the FrostFire watershed. These results will improve predictive algorithms for fire danger, biomass consumption, and emission production; and allow improved assessments of biogenic emissions and global change impacts. We offer the results to other investigators to interpret changes in carbon flux, hydrologic regimes, and vegetation change that can be expected from global change and fire in boreal ecosystems.