Compiling, Synthesizing and Analyzing Existing Boreal Forest Fire History Data in Alaska

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 in the boreal forests of Alaska that directly or indirectly address historical fire regimes, however, many are either unpublished, have an extensive amount of unprocessed dendrochronological (tree age and fire scar) samples, or their data were used for other purposes. Furthermore, there has not been a compilation and comprehensive assessment of these data to provide a more complete understanding of how fire has historically impacted the boreal forest ecosystems of Alaska. In 2006, the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) funded this project to compile and synthesize existing Alaska boreal forest fire history datasets. This includes a literature review of fire history publications in boreal forests in Alaska, and incorporation of the reference information into the Alaska Fire Effects Reference Database. Existing published and unpublished fire history datasets will be compiled (and dendrochronological samples will be processed, as necessary) into a standardized database (the Alaska Boreal Forest Fire History Database). Access to the database will be provided both statically (as a downloadable database) and dynamically (within the Alaska Fire and Fuels Research Map). Data compiled in the Alaska Boreal Forest Fire History Database will be submitted to the International Multiproxy Paleofire Database (IMPD). The literature review and compiled data will be synthesized and published in report format as the Alaska Boreal Forest Fire History Synthesis. If the data compiled through this project are temporally and spatially explicit enough to justify large-scale spatial and temporal analyses (e.g. comparisons between fire history and topography, vegetation, climate, etc.), then additional funding will be requested to conduct such analyses. Project information (including the proposal) is available through FRAMES: http://frames.nbii.gov/alaska/borealfirehistory