COMPILING, SYNTHESIZING AND ANALYZING EXISTING BOREAL FOREST FIRE HISTORY DATA IN ALASKA

Authors

Diana L. Olson, University of Idaho
James B. Cronan, University of Washington
Donald McKenzie, Forest Service
Jennifer L. Barnes, National Park Service
Anne E. Camp, Yale University
Mike Tjoelker, University of Washington, University of Idaho
Jennifer Northway, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Paige Eagle, University of Washington

Date of this Version

2011

Document Type

Article

Citation

FINAL REPORT TO THE JOINT FIRE SCIENCE PROGRAM PROJECT #06-3-1-26

Comments

US government work.

Abstract

Wildland fires play a critical role in maintaining the ecological integrity of boreal forests in Alaska. Identifying and maintaining natural fire regimes is an important component of fire management. There are numerous research projects that directly or indirectly address historical fire regimes in the Alaskan boreal forest, but many are unpublished, have many unprocessed dendrochronological (tree age and fire scar) samples, or their data were used for other purposes. Furthermore, no assessment of these data exists to understand how fire has historically affected the boreal forest ecosystems of Alaska. The goal of this project was to compile and synthesize existing Alaska boreal-forest fire-history literature and datasets (http://frames.nbii.gov/alaska/borealfirehistory). We include a literature review and synthesis of publications related to fire regimes in boreal forests in Alaska (the pending general technical report “Fire Regimes of the Alaskan Boreal Forest”), and incorporate the reference information into the Alaska Fire Effects Reference Database (http://frames.nbii.gov/alaska; funded by JFSP as part of project 05-4-2-03: Expanding FIREHouse to Alaska). Fourteen published and unpublished fire-history or stand-age datasets were compiled and processed into the Alaska Fire History Database (http://frames.nbii.gov/documents/alaska/fire_history/ak_fire_history_db.zip), and data summarized by plot are available through a dynamic map interface (within the Alaska Fire and Fuels Research Map; http://afsmaps.blm.gov/imf/imf.jsp?site=firehouse). Data compiled in the Alaska Fire History Database have also been submitted to the International Multiproxy Paleofire Database (IMPD). Finally, some of the project funds were used to clean up and improve data within the Alaska Large Fire Database, a database started in the early 1990s that includes reported fire locations since 1939 and fire perimeters since 1942 (http://afsmaps.blm.gov/imf/imf.jsp?site=firehistory).