Assessment of the Effects of Fire on Carbon Cycling and Ecosystem Recovery in the Boreal Forest Region of Alaska 

 

 

Eric Kasischke, Jenny Hewson, Edward Hyer, Simon Trigg,  Scott Goetz, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez (Veridian Systems), Jennifer Small (GSFC)

 

This project focuses on understanding how fire influences ecosystem processes in the boreal forests of interior Alaska and encompasses several avenues of research. Studies are being carried out on analyzing spatial and temporal patterns of fire in this region through analysis of fire records and large-fire databases. Field-based research is focused on understanding what factors control variations in fire severity (as measured through tree mortality and consumption of organic soil) and how these variations influence post-fire patterns of ecosystem recovery.

 

 Research involving satellite data sets include investigations of using Landsat imagery to estimate burn severity and map different patterns of forest recovery, ERS and RADARSAT imagery to analyze patterns of soil moisture in recently burned forests, and AVHRR data to investigate spatial and temporal patterns of net primary production in burned areas. Field studies are also being conducted to collect surface observations in support of the satellite data.

 

Collaborators on this project include scientists from the University of Alaska through the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research Program at Bonanza Creek (http://www.lternet.edu/sites/bnz/), USGS (http://carbon.wr.usgs.gov), and the California Institute of Technology(http://www.gps.caltech.edu/programs/biogeochem/).

Example publication: Kasischke, E.S., Williams, D., and D. Barry, Analysis of the patterns of large fires in the boreal forest region of Alaska, International Journal of Wildland Fire 11 (2), 131-144, 2002.