Assessing Wildland Fire Impacts on the Winter Habitat Use and Distribution of Caribou within Alaska Interior Boreal Forest Ecosystem

Primary contact(s): Layne Adams, ladams@usgs.gov, (907) 786-7159

Status: Completed September 30, 2007; paper in-wrok

Project area: Nelchina River Basin, Interior Alaska

Description: Caribou wintering in boreal forest ecosystems of Alaska forage primarily on climax stage fruticose lichens. Wildland fires, however, chronically burn boreal forests, reducing the availability of forage lichens for decades. Since the early 1900s, wildland fire has been implicated in caribou population declines. Numerous studies reveal reduced lichen availability, long lichen recovery periods, and caribou avoidance of recently burned winter ranges. However, direct evidence for fire induced population decline is notably lacking.

Why: The overall objective of this research is to improve our understanding of the effects of fire on caribou populations utilizing boreal forest winter ranges.

Audience: Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Sport and Subsistence Hunters

Cooperators: Bureau of Land Management

Keywords: fire, ecology, caribou, terrestrial mammal, ecosystem, Alaska

Start Date: October 1, 2000

End Date: September 30, 2007

Geographic Bounding Box:

   Upper Left (Lat/Long): 63.60,-149.50

   Lower Right (Lat/Long): 61.41,-143

Project Link: http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/caribou/fire_impacts.htm