Effects of Fire in Alaska and Adjacent Canada: A Literature Review

Alaskan land and resource managers are moving from a policy of fire control to one of fire management. To use fire as a tool to reach resource management objectives, managers need information on fire effects and the role of fire in the northern environment. The authors searched and reviewed all the available literature on fire effects in Alaska and adjacent Canada, in both the northern forest {taiga) and the tundra. They report and interpret this literature, discussing fire effects information sources, fire history and fire regimes, and the effects of fire on soils, watersheds, vegetation, and animal life. They also point out information gaps that need to be filled.