National Park Service Alaska Region Fire Ecology Annual Report Calendar Year 2007

Allen, Jennifer

The purpose of the Alaska Region Fire Ecology program is to obtain baseline data on the natural variability of fire on the landscape, to monitor the effects of fire or mechanical treatments on vegetation, fuels and soil parameters, and to provide fire ecology information to fire managers, other park staff, and the public. During 2007 the NPS Alaska Fire Ecology program assessed vegetation and environmental changes at 55 Composite Burn Index (CBI) plots from 2000 and 2001 fires in Denali, re-measured 6 permanent wildland fire use plots in Noatak, re-measured 15 permanent fire effects plots from a 1999 fire in Yukon-Charley Rivers NP, coordinated a lake coring project, and participated in several interagency projects and meetings. The science education program with the Community of Eagle School continued this year; fourteen students and NPS staff boated to Coal Cr in Yukon-Charley Rivers NP and learned about fire effects, cultural resources, and water quality. In addition a peer-reviewed manuscript titled “Assessing the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio’s ability to map burn severity in the boreal forest and tundra ecosystems of Alaska’s national parks” was submitted to the International Journal of Wildland Fire and will be published in 2008.