Alaska Fire Science Consortium

08/14/2026

Yankovich Wildfire Walk Trail is open again!

08/11/2026

Our Fire Science Highlight this week spotlights Bonanza Creek LTER research on fire and insect impacts to blueberry production in Alaska. Read it HERE:
https://akfiresciencehighlights.com/2026/08/03/are-burns-good-for-blueberries/

08/02/2026

07/28/2026

As of Friday, only 41.4k acres had burned in Alaska. Only 5 of the past 33 seasons doubled burned area after July 23. Interestingly, only 2023 increased by a factor of 3. Thank you Rick Thoman of ACCAP for the graphic.

07/28/2026

Funding opportunities from Joint Fire Science Program! These are open until September 17th. See the full list of opportunities and how to submit a proposal at https://www.firescience.gov/ords/prd/jf_jfsp/r/jfspublic/jfsp-funding-announcements1

07/23/2026

What happens to thinned black spruce stands over time? In the early days of fire fuel treatments 25 years ago an experiment was conducted to investigate whether thinning Alaska interior black spruce stands could moderate fire behavior and what would happen to these fuel treatments over time. Partners Tanana Chiefs Corporation, Alaska Fire Service, and Alaska Department of Forestry conducted operational fuel treatments at 3 sites and the Joint Fire Science Program sponsored the research and monitoring portion of the experiment. What do these treatments look like now, and how have conditions changed over time? We had the opportunity to revisit and re-measure one of the demonstration sites recently with fire ecologist Eric Miller of the Wildland Fire Service—this one near the Gerstle River east of Delta Junction.
The thinned stands today (left) have filled in a little with spruce, both young trees and crown expansion, since thinning but are open and park-like. The retain the forest character but with more willows and caribou moss (lichens) replacing some of the feather underneath the trees. The forest floor organic layer is thinner by half and the depth to frost much deeper. Look at the difference compared to the untreated “control” plot nearby!

07/19/2026

07/11/2026

Red Flag Warnings are in effect across the Interior and the Copper River Valley – stay vigilant.

Interestingly, as of July 9, Alaska has had its third-lowest wildfire acreage since 1993 – only 1995 and 2023 were lower. Thank you to Rick Thoman from ACCAP for the graphic.

07/11/2026

Heads up! Wildfire walk trail and others in the area closed for a nesting goshawk.

Attention Trail Users,

To help protect a nesting goshawk and ensure the safety of both wildlife and trail users, we are temporarily closing a few trails in the area.

Please refer to the attached map and avoid all trails marked in red until further notice. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we give these birds the space they need during nesting season.

Thank you for helping us protect our local wildlife and for your understanding!