U. S.

Department of the Interior SLM-Alaska Technical Report 6

Bureau of Land Management BLM/AK/ST-97/013+9218+380
November 1980
Reprinted February 1997

Alaska State Office

222 West 7th, #13
Anchorage, Alaska 99513

Effects of Fire in Alaska and Adjacent Canada:

A Literature Review

Leslie A. Viereck and Linda A. Schandelmeier

50272·101
REPORT DOCUMENTATION 1 1· REPORT NO. 12. 3. Recipient's Accession No.

PAGE BLM/AK/TR-80/06
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _- 1 -_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ +----------------t
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date

Effects of Fire in Alaska and Adjacent Canada-- November 1980

a literature review
7. Author(s) 8. Performine Oraanlzation Rept. No.
Leslie A. Viereck and Linda A. Schandelmeier
9. Performing Oraanization Name and Address 10. Project/Task/Work Unit No.
USDA Forest Service
Institute of Northern Forestry 11. Contract(C) or Grant(G) No.
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 <C> AK-950-IA9-3
CG)

12. Sponsorins Orsanlzatlon Name and Address 13. Type of Report & Period Covered
u. s. Department of the Interior BLM-Alaska
Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office Technical Report
701 C Street, Box 13 14.
Anchorage, Alaska 99513
15. Supplementary Notes
Leslie A. Viereck is principal plant ecologist, Institute of Northern Forestry, USDA
Forest Service, Fairbanks, Alaska, and Linda A. Schandelmeier was a biological techni-
cian, Department of Forest Soils, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska.
---------------·------------·--------- ·---------
16. Abstract (Limit: 200 words)

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.

17. Document Analysis a. Descriptors

-fire effects; vegetation; vegetation succession; tundra; taiga; boreal forest;
vegetation types; soils; permafrost; wildlife; moose; caribou; furbearers; birds;
fire behavior; fire bibliography

b. Identifiers/Open-Ended Terms

Alaska; western Canada; northern environment

c. COSATI Field/Group
is. Availabilit~ -St;i.~;n-t-While supplies- last, from the USDI- -119. Securii;·clas-;(This Report)- - ·- 21. No of Pages
Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office, Nonsensitive 124
Division of Resources, 701 C St., Box 13, Anchor- r 20~ Securit~ Cla~~ (Th~-Pa~~)--·-··· ·-·-··---22. Price
age, AK 99513; also available from the NTIS. ! Nonsensitive
(See ANSI-Z39. l 8) See Instructions on Reverse OPTIONAL FORM 272 (4-77)
(Formerly NTIS-35)
Department of Commerce
Authors

Leslie Viereck is principal plant ecologist for the Institute of Northern Forestry USDA Forest Service, in
Fairbanks. He holds a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University
of Colorado. From 1959 to 1961, Dr. Viereck was a member of the biology department of the University of
Alaska. He was range biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game from 1961 to 1963. Since
joining the staff of the Institute of Northern Forestry in 1963, Dr. Viereck has investigated the relationship
between vegetation and permafrost and conducted basic ecological studies of plant succession on flood
plains and areas burned by wildfire. He has concentrated his studies for the past 1O years on the effects of
fire on Alaska vegetation.

Linda Schandelmeier was born in Alaska and earned her B.S. degree from the University of Alaska in 1971.
While working on this report, she was employed as a biological technician with the Department of Forest Soils,
University of Alaska. She has also worked a naturalist for the USDA Forest Service, a research aide for the
USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, and a biological technician for the University of Alaska's Institute of Marine
Science.

Technical Reports

Technical Reports issued by the Bureau of Land Management-Alaska presentthe results of research, studies,
investigations, literature searches, testing or similar endeavors on a variety of scientific and technical subjects.
The results present are final, or are a summation and analysis of data at an intermediate point in a long-term
research project, and have received objective review by peers in the author's field.

The reports are available at BLM offices in Alaska, the USDI Resources Library in Anchorage, various libraries
of the University of Alaska, and other selected locations. Copies are also available for inspection at the USDI
Natural Resources Library in Washington, D.C. and at the BLM Service Center Library in Denver.
 Effects of ·Fi~e in Alaska and Adjacent Canada:
A Literature Review

Leslie A. Viereck and

Linda A. Schandelmeier

Bureau of Land Management Technical Report 6

Alaska State Office · November 1980
Anchorage, Alaska 99513
 CONTENTS
page
INTRODUCTION 1

FIRE EFFECTS INFORMATION SOURCES. 1

Area and Subjects Covered • • • • • • • • • 1
Systematic Reviews • • • • 2
Bibliographies and Computerized Searches • • • • • • • • ·2
Symposia and Workshops 3
Selected References on Fire Effects Information Sources . 6

FIRE HISTORY AND FIRE REGIMES 8

Fire History in Alaska·. 8
Definition of Terms • • • 10
Fire Regime in the Taiga • • • • • 12
Fire Regime in the Tundra. 14
Selected References on Fire History and Fire Regimes. 17

EFFECTS OF FIRE ON SOILS 19

Forest Floor Characteristics • • . • • 19
Soil Temperature ••••• 21
Soil Moisture • • • 22
Soil Wettability 22
soil Nutrients 23
Permafrost 24
Fire effects and the active layer •• 25
Frost action after fire 27
Firelines on permafrost 28
Selected References on Effects of Fire on Soils •• 29

EFFECTS OF FIRE ON WATERSHEDS . . . . . 34

Available Information • . . • . • • . • • 34
Selected References on Effects of Fire· on Watersheds. 36

EFFECTS OF FIRE ON VEGETATION • . • • • • • • 38

The Taiga . • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • 38
Autecological Relationships in the Taiga. 40
Black spruce •••. 40
White spruce 41
Deciduous trees 42
Shrubs . . . . . 43
Herbs • • • • • . . . . . .-. 44
Mosses and lichens .••• 45
Effects of Severity of Fire on Taiga Vegetation • • • 46

iii
 page
Revegetation after Fire in the Taiga 47
White spruce/feathermoss type 49
Black spruce/feathermoss type . • 51
Black spruce/lichen woodland . . • • 54
Relationship of black spruce and other
vegetation types • • • • • • • • • • • • • 55
Effects of Fire on Taiga Ecosystem Components and
Processes 56
The Tundra 61
Revegetation after Fire in the Tundra • • • 61
Biomass and Productivity. • • • • • • • ••• 62
The Treeline and Fire. . • • • • • • • • . • • 63
Selected References on Effects of Fire on Vegetation • • . 64

EFFECTS OF FIRE ON ANIMAL LIFE •• 66

Caribou and Reindeer . • . • • 66
An Unresolved Problem 66
Fire and Lichens • • • 67
Caribou and Lichens 69
Other Considerations 69
Caribou and Fire in Alaska 70
Reindeer and Fire • • • • . • .•. 74
Gaps in Knowledge on Fire~Caribou Interactions 74
Selected References on Effects of Fire on Caribou
and Reindeer . . 75
Moose . . . . • • . • • • • • • • • • • • . 77
· Moose Population Changes and Fire 77
Gaps in Knowledge on Fire-Moose Interactions. 79
Selected References on Effects of Fire on Moose. 80
Furbearers •• 82
Snowshoe Hare • • • • 82
Marten. 83
Lynx . . . . . • . 84
Muskrat. 84
Beaver • . • . . . • • . • . . 84
Selected References on Effects of Fire on Furbearers 85
Smal 1 Mammals . . • • • • • . . 86
Microtines • • • 86
Ground Squirrels .••• 87
Red Squirrels ••• 88
Selected References on Effects of Fire on Small
Manunals 88
Birds •• 89
Game Birds . • • • 90
Spruce grouse . 90
Ruffed grouse. 90
Sharptailed grouse. 91
Ptarmigan . . 91
Waterfowl • . . • . 91

iv
 page
93
Other Birds • • • • • • · · • · • • • · •
93
S\lillil\ary • . • • • • · · • · • • · · · · ·
selected References on Effects of Fire on Birds 94
95
Aquatic Life • • • • . . · • • · · · • • • • •
95
Available Information. • · · • • • • • •
Selected References on Effects of Fire on Aquatic
96
Life . . . . • • • •
97
Terrestrial Invertebrates· • · • · • • • • • • • · · • •
97-
Available Information • - • · • • •· • · •
Selected References on Effects of Fire on
Terrestrial Invertebrates • • • • · • • • • • • 98
98
Other Wildlife . • • • • • · • · • • ·
99
LITERATURE CITED • • • •

FIGURES page
1. Area burned in-Alaska between 1940 and 1973 9

2. Thaw depths for 8 years following the 1971 Wickersham Dome

fire in Alaska and the 1968 Inuvik fire in Northwest Terri-
tories, Canada • • • • • • • • • . • • 26

3. Boundaries of taiga, tundra, and coastal forests in

Alaska. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 39

4. Patterns of forest succession following fire in Alaska. 48

5. Stages in succession following fire on upland white

spruce sites in interior Alaska • • • • • • • SO

6. Stages in succession following fire on pennafrost black

spruce sites in interior Alaska • • • . • • • 51

7. Hypothetical successional changes in a burned black

spruce stand being revegetated by more black spruce. 57

8. Comparison of stand age with standing crop of lichens in

sites used by caribou in Manitoba and Saskatchewan during
1972 and 1973 . • . • • • . • • . . • • . . . • . 68

9. Relative amounts of moose browse available compared with

the time since fire brother disturbance in interior
Alaska . • . • . . . • • • • . . • • • • . • • . . • . . 79

V
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank the following persons for their help

in preparing this literature review and the associated·
bibliography:

The staff of the University of Alaska Computer Network,

and especially Dr. Timothy J. Fullam and Eric Carlson.
for their expert assistance in solving problems with the
FAMULUS computer programs;

Dr. Frederick C. Dean and Candy Anderson, University of

Alaska Cooperative Parks Study Unit, for sharing their
experience with the FAMULUS programs and for making
valuable time-saving suggestions;

Dr. R. A. Norum, USDA Forest Service, Institute of

Northern Forestry, and Melanie Miller, Bureau of Land
Management, Fairbanks District Office, for providing us
with copies of several out-of-print and difficult-to-
obtain publications;

Dr. H. w. Gabriel, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska

State Office, for supplying us with computer searches of
a number of national data information sources, and for
his valuable assistance and suggestions during pr~para-
tion of this report;

Dr. c. T. Dyrness, Dr. R. A. Norum, and_Joan Foote,

Institute of Northern Forestry; Dr. H. W. Gabriel,
Margaret Evans, Melanie Miller, and several anonymous
referees from BLM, for their critical review of the
manuscript.

We also especially thank the Bureau of Land Management

for providing funds for the project through an Inter~
agency Agreement with the Pacific Northwest Forest and
Range Experiment Station.

vi
 INTRODUCTION

Land management agencies in Alaska are moving from past practices

of fire control toward management of fire as a tool to meet resource
management objectives. Information on the natural role of fire and the
effects of fire in the northern environment is badly needed as a basis
for formulating fire management plans.

For this report, we attempted to review and interpret all available

literature on fire effects in Alaska and adjacent Canada, both in for-
ested (taiga) and tundra regions. For the review we compiled an ab-
stracted, computerized bibliography of fire effects in Alaska and
adjacent Canada, containing about 750 references. The bibliography is
stored on tape at the university of Alaska Computer Center, Fairbanks.
Hard copies of the bibliography are available for review in the Insti-
tute of Northern Forestry Library, Fairbanks; the USDI Alaska Resources
Library, Anchorage; Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices in Anchorage
or Fairbanks; or from the authors.

For the reader's convenience, we have selected the most important

and most recent papers and listed them at the end of each section of
this report. In addition, all references cited are listed at the end of
the report.

FIRE EFFECTS INFORMATION SOURCES

Area and Subjects Covered

In the bibliography of fire effects for the tundra and taiga of

Alaska and adjacent Canada, used as a source for this report, we have
tried to include all published references and as many unpublished
reports as we could find without an exhaustive search of agency files
and libraries. For adjacent Canada (Yukon Territory, northern British
Columbia, and western Northwest Territories), we attempted to include
all published material covering fire effects on vegetation types similar
to those found in Alaska.

We included references from outside Alaska and adjacent Canada if

we felt they were pertinent to the Alaska situation or included some
information not covered in the Alaska references. An exµInple is refer-
ences to fire effects in tundra ecosystems; several important studies in
northern Canada are cited and few from Alaska. In like manner we have
included references to fire and caribou and reindeer from across Canada,
and from Scandinavia and the Soviet Union, because our discussion would
be incomplete without them.

We have included many references to studies in northern Minnesota

(especially those of Heinselman and Ahlgren) because of the similarity
of vegetation types in that area to those in Alaska and because several
studies have direct application to the Alaskan situation.

In this report we have tried to cover all major topics of fire·

effects on biological systems. Fauna, flora, and ecosystem components
such as soil processes, productivity, nutrient cycles, and plant-animal
interactions are discussed. Where possible, we have included summaries
of the effects of fire on individual species. More of these are in the
wildlife section than in the vegetation section.

Systematic Reviews

We used two review papers as the starting point for most of our
discussions and for our bibliography. The first of these is a review by
Viereck (1973b), which covers much of the existing information on fire
effects in the Alaska taiga. The second review paper, by Kelsall et al.
(1977), has been especially important for reviewing the fire effects
literature in Canada. Other reviews of significance to boreal areas are
those by Lutz (1955) for Alaska and Kayll (1968) and Rowe and Scatter
(1973) for Canada. For general reviews of fire effects not related
specifically to the north, the book Fire and Ecosystems, edited by
Kozlowski and Ahlgren (1974) is of particular value. We also used a
series of review articles titled "A State-of-Knowledge Review," from the
National Fire Effects Workshop held in Denver, Colorado, in April 1978.

We have not made a systematic review of all journals that might

have published papers on fire effects. Several individuals and groups
have done this in recent years, and we assume that those reviews were
thorough.

Bibliographies and Compute_rized Searches

We searched some computerized bibliographies for pertinent key

words. Other bibliographies, we searched manually. Among these is the
fire ecology bibliography developed by M. J. Behan of the University of
Montana for the International Biological Program (IBP), Coniferous
Forest Biome, and the bibliography prepared.in conjunction with the
April 1978 National Fire Effects Workshop. We searched the following
data bases:

2
 1. FIREBASE--A bibliography of all aspects of wildfire
and prescribed fire. Developed by the USDA Forest
Service•s Northern Forest Fire Laboratory in Missoula,
Montana.

2. NTIS--National Technical Information Service.

3. AGRICOLA--Agricultural Sciences.

4. BIOSIS--Biological Abstracts-Index Service.

5. ENVIROLINE--Environmental Information Center Inc.

6. SCISEARCH--Science Citation Index.

Two other bibliographies we reviewed are Annotated Bibliography of

Permafrost - Vegetation - Wildlife - Landforms Relati~nships (Roberts-
Pichette 1972) and Fire in the Northern Regions - a Bibliography
(Larson 1969). While the Roberts-Pichette bibliography deals with the
Canadian North, its main emphasis is-permafrost. Therefore, it lacks
some inclusions and discussions of fire effects. The Larson bibliog-
raphy (1969) is not annotated, a large percentage of the citations
relate to fire suppression, and much of the northern fire effects
literature has appeared since the bibliography was published. A recent
annotated bibliography prepared by LGL Limited for the Canadian Northern
Economic & Development Branch of the Department of Indian and Northern
Affairs (1975?) has been especially useful because it covers north-
western Canada.

We used the Arctic Bibliography published by the Arctic Institute

of North America, and the new computerized version called ASTIS (Arctic
Science and Technology Information System). We also reviewed other
bibliographies on specific subjects that are not directly related to
northern areas. These are Fire.Impacts on Wildlife and Habitat
(Stanton 1975) and A Selected and Annotated Bibliog·raphy for Wilderness
Fire Manaqers (Baker 1975).

Symposia and Workshops

An increased interest in fire effects in recent years has resulted

in a number of symposia and workshops in both the United States and
Canada, and additional meetings are planned. Proceedings of some of
these workshops and symposia have been published, some are being pub-
lished, and others will have no fonnal publication. Published and
unpublished. papers from these meetings {through June 1979) have been
systematically reviewed. A chronological list of these meetings follows:

3
 1970--The Role of Fire in the Intermountain West, a symposium,
sponsored by the Intermountain Fire Research Council, was held in
Missoula, Montana. The published proceedings contain several papers
that relate directly to boreal forests.

1971--Fire in the Northern Environment, a symposium, sponsored by

the Alaska Forest Fire Council and the Alaska section of the Society of
American Foresters, was held in Fairbanks, Alaska. The proceedings,
edited by C. W. Slaughter, R. J. Bar~ey, and G. M. Hansen, contain a·
good summary of the knowledge of fire effects in the North American·
taiga, and especially Alaska, at that time.

1972--Fire in the Environment, a symposium, sponsored by the North

American Forestry Commission, FAO, was held in Denver, Colorado. The
proceedings include a number of papers that relate to northern forests,
as well as many general papers on fire effects and succession following
fire.

1972--The Ecological Role of Fire in Natural Conifer Forests of

Western and Northern North America, a symposium, sponsored by the Eco-
logical Society Qf America and the American Institute of Biological
Sciences , was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Proceedings, edited by·
A. L. Washburn and J. s. Creager, w~re published as a special issue of
Quarternary Research, Vol. 3(3) (1973). The publication contains review
papers on fire effects in Alaska (Viereck), Canada (Rowe and Scatter),
and Minnesota (Heinselman, Swain, and Frissell), as well as papers on
areas in mountains farther south. Also in this publication is an excel-
lent swnmary on the role of fire in conifer ecosystems by-Wright and
Heinselman.

1975--Canadian Alaskan Seminar on Research Needs in Fire Ecology

and Fire Management in the North. This meeting was sponsored by the
North American Forestry Commission with the objectives of reviewing fire
effects research in Alaska and northern-Canada and identifying oppor-
tunities for developing joint United States-Canadian programs of
research in fire ecology. It was held in Anchorage, Alaska, with a
field trip to Fairbanks, Alaska. The proceedings present summaries of
fire management practices, research, and policies in both Alaska and
some northern areas of Canada.

1976--Fire Management in the Northern Environment, a symposium,

sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was held in Anchorage,
Alaska. BLM published partial proceedings in 1979.

1977--North American Forest Lands at Latitudes North of

60 Degrees, a symposium, held in Fairbanks, Alaska, dealt with the broad
area of management of northern forests. It was sponsored by the Univer-
sity of Alaska, School of Agriculture and Land Resources Management,
Agricultural Experiment Station, Cooperative Extension Service: the

4
Alaska Humanities Forum; the USDA Forest Service; and the USDI Bureau of
Land Management in cooperation with the Alaska Federation of Natives;
the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska; the
Society of American Foresters; and the State of Alaska, Forestry Section
of the Department of Natural Resources. The proceedings, edited by
University of Alaska staff, contain several papers that discuss the
importance of fire in the boreal forest environment and the need for
management systems that include fire as an element in management plans.

1977--Symposium on the Environmental Consequences of Fire 3nd

Fuel Management in Mediterranean Ecosystems, Mooney and Conrad, technical
coordinators, was held in Palo Alto, California. While not directly
related to fire effects in northern areas, the proceedings include
general papers that relate to all forest types, including some on
modeling of succession. Proceedings were published by the USDA Forest
Service as General Technical Report W0-3.

1978--The Role of Past and Present Fire Frequency and Intensity

on Ecosystem Development and Management, a symposium, sponsored by the
International Scientific Committee for Problems of the Environment
(SCOPE), was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. H. Mooney, J.M. Bonnicksen,
N. L. Christensen, J~ E. Lotan, and W. A. Reiners are editors of the
proceedings, to be published by the USDA Forest Service.

1978--National Fire Effects Workshop, an interagency workshop,

sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, was held in Denver, Colorado, to
review the state of knowledge of fire effects. The results of this
workshop are being published as six separate General Technical Reports
from the Washington Office of the Forest Service. The reports cover the
effects of fire on the following subjects: fauna, soils, fuels, water,
air, and flora. To date (May 1980) five of the six have been published:
Effects of Fire on Fauna (Lyon et al. 1978); Effects of Fire on Soil
(Wells et al. 1979); Effects of Fire on Fuels (Martin et al. 1979);
Effects of Fire on Water (Tiedemann et al. 1979); and Effects of Fire on
Air (Sandberg et al. 1979).

1979--Fire in the Northern Circumpolar Ecosystems, a symposium,

sponsored by SCOPE, International Man and the Biosphere (MAB), and the
Fire Science Centre of the University of New Brunswick, was held in
Fredericton, New Brunswick, in October 1979. The proceedings of the
symposium, now in press, were edited by R. W. Wein. They include review
papers on aspects of fire effects in Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and
the Soviet Union.

* * *

5
 Selected References
on
Fire Effects Information Sources
Baker, J. o., Jr. 1975. A selected and annotated bibliography for
wilderness fire managers. USDA For. Serv., Washington, D.C. 36 pp.

Intermountain Fire Research Council. 1970. The role of fire in the

Intermountain West. Proceedings of a symposium. Intermountain Fire
Research Council, Missoula, Montana. October 27-29, 1970. 229 pp.

Kayll, A. J. 1968. The role of fire in the boreal forest of Canada.

Can. Forest. Serv., Petawawa For. Exp. Stn., Chalk River, Ontario.
Inf. Rept. PS-X-7. 15 pp.

Kelsall, J.P., E. s. Telfer, and T. D. Wright. 1977. The effects of

fire on the ecology of the boreal forest, with particular reference
to the Canadian north: a review and selected bibliography. Can.
Wildl. Serv. Occas. Pap. 32. 58 pp.

Kozlowski, T. T., and c. E. Ahlgren, eds. 1974. Fire and ecosystems.

Academic Press, New York. 542 pp.

Larson, s. M. 1969. Fire in far northern regions: a bibliography.

USDI, Dept. Library, Bibliography Series No. 14. 36 pp.

Lutz, H.J. 1955. Ecological effects of forest fires in the interior

of Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Alaska For. Res. Cent. Tech. Bull 1133.
121 pp.

Lyon, L. J., H. s. Crawford, E. Czuhai, R. L. Fredriksen, R. F. Harlow,

L. J. Metz, and H. A. Pearson. 1978. Effects of fire on fauna. A
state-of-knowledge review. National Fire Effects Workshop, Denver,
Colorado. April 1978. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rept. W0-6. 22 pp.

Martin, R. E., H. E. Anderson, w. D. Boyer, J. H. Dietrich·,

s. N. Hirsch, V. J. Johnson, and w. H. McNab. 1979. Effects
of fire on fuels. A state-of-knowledge review. National Fire
Effects Workshop. Denver, Colorado. April 1978. USDA For.
Serv. Gen. Tech. Rept. W0-13. 64 pp.

Mooney, H., J.M. Bonnicksen, N. L. Christensen, J.E. Lotan, and

w. A. Reiners, eds. 1978. The role of past and present fire fre-
quency and intensity on ecosystem development and management. Pro-
ceedings of a symposium. Sponsored by the International Scientific
Committee for Problems of the Environment (SCOPE). Honolulu,
Hawaii. USDA For. Serv. Gen. .Tech. Rept. Washington, D. C. Proceedings
in press.

6
Mooney, H. A., and c. E. Conrad, technical coordinators. 1977.
Proceedings of the symposium on the environmental consequences of fire
and fuel management in Mediterranean ecosystems. Symposium held
August 1-5, 1977, Palo Alto, Calif. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech.
Rept. WO-3. 498 pp.

North American Forestry Commission, Fire Management Study Group, FAQ.

1972. Fire in the environment. Proceedings of a symposium, May 1-5,
1972. Denver, Colorado. USDA For. Serv. in coop. with the Fire
Services of Canada, Mexico, and the United.States. North American
Forestry Commission, FAO.

North American Forestry Commission, Fire Management Study Group.

1975. Canadian-Alaskan seminar on research needs in fire ecology and
fire management in the North. Seminar held October 7-10, 1975.
Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska. Each paper paged separately.
Roberts-Pichette, P. 1972. Annotated bibliography of permafrost-
vegetation-wildlife-landform relationships. Can. For. Serv. Dept of
the Environ., For. Mgmt. Inst., Ottawa. Inf. Rept. FMR-X-43. 350 pp.

Rowe, J. s., and G. w. Scatter. 1973. Fire in the boreal forest.

Quat. Res. 3(3):444-464.

Sandberg, D. V., J.M. Pierovich, D. G. Fox, and E.W. Ross. 1979.

Effects of fire on air. A state-of-knowledge review. National Fire
Effects Workshop, April 1978. Denver, Colorado. USDA For. Serv. Gen.
Tech. Rept. WO-9. 40 pp.

Slaughter, c. W., R. J. Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds. 1971. Fire in

the northern environment. Proceedings of a symposium, April 197_1.
Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W. For. and Range
~xp. Stn., Portland, Oregon. 275 pp.

Stanton, F. 1975. Fire impacts on wildlife and habitat, an abstracted

bibliography of pertinent studies. USDI, Bureau of Land Management
48 pp.

Tiedemann, A. R., C. E. Conrad, J. H. Dieterich, J. w. Hornbeck, W. F.

Megahan, L.A. Viereck, and D. D. Wade. 1979. Effects of fire on
water. A state-of-knowledge review. National Fire Effects Workshop,
April 1978. Denver, Colorado. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rept.
WO-10. 28 pp.

University of Alaska and others, sponsors. 1977. North American

forest lands at latitudes north of 60 degrees. Proceedings of a sym-
posium. Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks. Sept. 19-22, 1977. 332 pp.

Viereck, L.A. 1973b. Wildfire in the taiga of Alaska. Quat. Res.

3 (3) :465-495.

7
Washburn, A. L., and J. s. Creager, eds. 1973. The ecological role of
fire in natural conifer forests of western and northern North America.
Proceedings of a symposium. Quat. Res. 3(3) :317-513.

Wein, R. w., ed. 1979. Fire in northern circumpolar ecosystems.

Proceedings of a symposium. International Scientific Conunittee for
Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), International Man and the Bio-
sphere (MAB}, and the Fire Science Centre of the Univ. New Brunswick.
October 1979. Fredericton, New Brunswic~. John Wiley and Sons,
Canada, Limited. Proceedings in press.
Wells, c. G., R. E. Campbell, L. F. DeBano, C. E. Lewis, R. L. Fredriksen,
E. C. Franklin, R. C. Froelich, and P.H. Dunn. 1979. Effects of
fire on soil. A state-of-knowledge review. National Fire Effects
Workshop, April 1978. Denver, Colorado. USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech.
Rept. W0-7. 34 pp.

FIRE HISTORY and FIRE REGIMES

Fire History in Alaska

In Alaska fire records have been kept only since 1940. Lutz {1955)
recorded some of the largest fires before 1940, and others have attemp-
ted to trace the fire history of individual areas, for example, Mount
McKinley National Park (Buskirk 1976) and the Kenai National Moose Range
(Johnson, A. 1975). Statistics for the period from 1940 to the present
have been compiled by Barney {1969, 1971) and the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) ( USDI 1978).

Barney and Stocks ( 1979 ) identified some of the difficulties of

determining fire history in northern areas. They note the lack of long-
time records. In addition, increased efficiency of detection systems in
recent times has led to problems in data interpretation. These authors
point out that climate, especially lightning frequency, has not changed
in the last 100 to 150 years. The influx of miners and their activities
around the turn of the century may have increased fire frequency but in
general, the natural fire frequency should have been about the same for
this period.

Barney (1971) estimated that before 1940, the:average area burned

each year in Alaska was 600,000 to 1,000,000 hectares. Although the
numbers of occurrences of man-caused and lightning-caused fires in
Alaska have increased in each of the decades since 1940, the average
annual area burned by lightning fires has decreased about 10 percent per

8
 2200 T

201210

1800

1600

,... 1400
0
0
0
,- 1200
...,,
)(

rn 1000
...a,
G)

-0
CD
:J:
800

600

400

200

40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78
Year

Fig. 1. Area burned in Alaska between 1940 and 1979.

decade, and the average annual area burned by man-caused fires in the
1970s is about one-tenth the annual average in the previous decade.
Barney concluded that the apparent increased occurrences of fire are due
to improved detection and reporting.

Statistical data for the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories

parallel Alaska data in many respects. Individual fires in the taiga
tend to be large, often 50,000 hectares or larger during exceptional
fire years, and may reach sizes of more than 200,000 hectares. Excep-
tional fire years are characteristic of the spruce ecosystem. Rowe et
al. (1974) point out that in the southern area of the Mackenzie Valley,
Canada, 42 percent of the fires studied occurred in 5 exceptional years
and in the northern area 4 years accounted for 60 percent of the fires.
The same trend occurs in Alaska. From 1940 to 1978, 6 years (1940,
1941, 1950, 1957, 1969, and 1977) accounted for 63 percent of the total
area burned. (See Fig. 1.)

Fire years sometimes are synchronized over wide geographic areas.

Although Rowe et al. (1974) found only 2 years where the fire years were

9
similar for the northern and southern areas of Mackenzie Valley (1865
and 1881), the earlier year has also been reported as a big fire year in
Jasper Park (Tande 1977), in Montana (Arno 1976), and in Minnesota
(Frissell 1973 and Heinselman 1973). A comparison of data on major fire
years in Alaska and the Mackenzie Valley (Lutz 1955) with the data pro-
vided by Rowe et al. {1974) shows a correlation in 1893, 1915, 1937,
1941, 1950, and 1969. The large Alaska fire years of 1940 and 1957 had
no counterpart in the Mackenzie area.

Periodicity in the occurrence of exceptional fire years has been

suggested by many investigators. Fox (1978) proposed that fire years
occur in 11-year cycles, following sun spots. Rowe et al. (1974) for
the Mackenzie Valley and Heinselman (1973) for northern Minnesota
suggested th~t in 1 year out of every 4, significant fire activity is
probable. Wilton and Evans (1974) showed that the area burned in
Newfoundland between 1910 and 1970 followed a periodic but not a cyclic
pattern. They pointed out that the extreme fire years occur as pairs,
with the first year less severe than the second. Data from Alaska and
Canada on area burned show a rough correlation of annual area burned to
a 9- to 11-year time interval. The question of periodic or cyclic
patterns in the occurrence of large fire years remains unresolved.

Definition of Terms

The natural fire regime of an area has been defined by Heinselman

(1978) as the total pattern of fires characteristic of a natural region
or ecosystem. The pattern includes variations in ignition, fire
intensity and behavior, average area of ecologically significant fires,
recurrence intervals, and the general ecological effects on the eco-
system. Before discussing the fire regime of the taiga, we must define
some additional terms.

Two types of fire periodicity can be determined for any unit of

area or for a given vegetation type. These are "fire frequency" and
"fire cycle."

1. "Fire frequency" or "return interval" refer to the time·

interval between successive burning of the same piece of land
(Heinselman 1978) or the same stand of vegetation. It is usually
determined by fire scars on fire-resistant trees or by historical
records.

2. "Fire cycle" (Van Wagner 1978) or "natural fire rotation"

(Heinselman 1973) is defined as the time period required to burn an area
equivalent to the area being investigated. It is usually determined
from fire records, but recently a method has been developed which uses
the distribution of stand ages (Rowe et al. 1975, Van Wagner 1978, Yarie
1979). In this review paper, we use the term "fire cycle" to avoid the

10
confusion of the usual use of the word "rotation" in forestry to mean
the time required to establish and grow tree stands to a specified con-
dition of maturity.

Two other terms used frequently in fire regime descriptions are

"fire intensity" and 11 fire severity." Albini (1976) states: "Perhaps
no descriptor of wildfire behavior is as poorly defined or as poorly
communicated as are measures of fire intensity."

As used by fire behavior scientists, the term "fire intensity"

implies some measure of a rate of energy transmission at the fire
front. It is usually expressed as a unit of heat energy/length/time,
such as Btu/foot/second or kilocalories/meter/second (Albini 1976). The
term has been used in a much broader sense, however, especially by fire
ecologists, to mean the heat created by fire and its overall effect on
vegetation and soils.

The problem lies with the fact that a low-intensity fire may burn
slowly and deeply in the organic layer, thus having a greater effect on
soils and revegetation than a high-intensity fire that leaves the sur-
face organic layers intact but destroys the overstory. Because of this,
the term "fire severity" has been used to indicate the overall effects
of the fire on the ecosystem. In some cases the term has been restric-
ted to meaning the effects of fire on the forest floor only. We feel
that this is too restrictive.

Wells et al. U979) state that fire intensity can be classified

subjectively by using fire severity classes but this cannot always be
done. Fire severity, especially as it relates to the forest floor, de-
pends more on the moisture content of the organic layers than it does on
the intensity of the fire. It is possible for a very intense crown fire
to have little effect on the forest floor, especially if the organic
layers are frozen, as is often the case early in the fire season in
Alaska. Similarly, it is possible for a low-intensity surface fire to
burn deeply into the organic layer, especially in late summer when the
organic layer is thawed and may cont~in little moisture. Thus, the fire
could severely affect the ecosystem, especially revegetation.

To use the term "fire intensity" only when the kilocalories/meter/

second have been determined seems·to us to be too restrictive. "Fire
intensity" should be used in a more general way in discussing hot crown
fires that consume much of the aboveground vegetation, rather than low-
intensity fires that may leave large amounts of vegetation either live
or dead. If fire behaviorists wish to restrict the meaning of "fire
intensity" to definite measured physical characteristics, they should
also restrict terms such as "reaction intensity" or "Byram's fireline
intensity" as defined by Albini (1976).

In most papers that we reviewed, the terms "fire intensity" and

"fire severity" are used in a general way, often interchangeably. We

11
see no advantage in narrow, restrictive use of either term, but suggest
that the two terms be distinguished from each other and used as follows:

Fire intensity should be used in either a quantitative or qualita-

tive way to indicate the type or amount of heat c.reated by the fire.

Fire severity should be used to indicate the effect of the fire on

the ecosystem, whether it affects the forest floor, tree canopy, or some
other part of the ecosystem. To indicate the specific effect of the
fire on the forest floor, we (Viereck et al. 1979) have developed ·forest
floor severity classes. These are discussed in the soils section,
page 19.

Fire Regime in the Taiga

The natural fire regime of the Alaska taiga may be characterized as

having relatively high-intensity crown fires or severe surface fires
that kill and regenerate entire stands (Heinselman 1978). The return
interval is short to medium (50 to 200 years), and the ecologically sig-
nificant fires are large, generally 25,000 to 50,000 hectares or larger.

Although little information is available on the taiga's natural

fire cycle because of the taiga's remoteness and lack of fire records,
Rowe et al. (1974) have shown that in the Mackenzie Valley, fire cycles
are between 80 and 90 years for the black spruce type, 30 to 70 years
for the jack pine type, and 300 years for the alluvial white spruce
stands, many of which are islands and thus protected from fire. Smith
and Henderson (1970) show an approximately 100-year cycle for the· spruce
types in northern British Columbia.

For the Alaska taiga, a fire cycle of about 200 years is estimated.
Heinselman (1978) has modified the estimate to 130 years for open
spruce-lichen forest and 100 years for closed black spruce.

Trigg's (1971) fire climatic zones correlate with established

cycles for Alaska. The shortest cycles occur in interior Alaska and the
Yukon Basin and longer fire cycles are typical of western and south-
western Alaska. In corroboration, Yarie (1979) estimated the natural
fire cycle to be 49 years, basing his estimate on ages of 375 randomly
located stands in the 3.6 million hectare Porcupine River area. He also
determined the fire cycle for the following cover types: white spruce,
59.1 years.; black spruce, 58.9 years.; and deciduous tree stands,
28.6 years.

Because precipitation increases from western to eastern Canada, the

length of the natural fire cycie should increase from west to east. No
estimate of the fire cycle is available from the northern forested areas

12
of Canada, but in New Brunswick (Wein and Moore 1977), fire cycles of
230 years have been calculated for the red spruce-hemlock-pine type and
more than 1,000 years for the high-elevation conifer types.

Wilton and Evans (1974) found that in Newfoundland over the past 60
years, 15 percent of the commercial forest and 12.5 percent of the total
land area have burned. This gives a fire cycle of approximately 400
years for the forested areas and 480 years for the total land area. ~hey
emphasize that this is not a natural fire regime but one established
under much development and many man-caused fires. These figures from
eastern Canada indicate that the natural fire cycle is much greater in
the wetter regions of the boreal forest than it is in the dryer western
areas of western Canada and central Alaska.

Two elements must be considered in discussions of fire resistance

in relation to spruce types and fire. One is the resistance of tree
species to fire; the other is the susceptibility of a given forest~
to fire. Balbyshev's (1964) study of the relative fire resistance of
various taiga tree species in the Soviet Union showed that conifer trees
are less resistant to fire than are deciduous trees, and among conifer
trees, spruce is the least resistant. This means that when a fire burns
through spruce stands, the trees are generally killed. In contrast,
repeated ground fires in the larch and pine stands may leave fire scars
but seldom kill the trees. Balbyshev concluded that repeated fires in
the Soviet Union have acted to spread and make more dominant the fire-
resistant trees, whereas the spruce have become more limited and
confined to areas of lower fire frequency. In Alaska all of the tree
species are relatively thin-barked and equally susceptible to fire.
Distribution and abundance, therefore, seem to be related primarily to
trees' ability to regenerate after fire.

In their discussion of susceptibility (or ease of ignition) of

forest types in the boreal forest of Canada, Rowe and Scatter (1973)
found that surface fires are initiated with greater difficulty in spruce
than in pine forests, but that crown fires spread about equally in spruce
and pine under the same conditions.

In the spruce type most fires are either crown fires or groun~
fires intense enough to kill the overstory tr~es.

The tendency of fires to crown is related to the distribution of

fuels within the stands. In most black spruce stands, there is an open,
flammable ericaceous shrub layer that can carry flame at .5 to 1 m above
the surface. From that point, ignition into the crown can occur because
dead, lichen-covered lower branches will carry flame directly into the
crown. Layering of the lower branches also provides nearly.continuous
fuel from forest floor to tree crowns.

13
 Fire Regime in the Tundra

The natural fire regime of the tundra is not well understood. In

many tundra areas, fire may never occur or play a significant role but
in other areas, it may have ecological significance even if the occur-
rence is rare. In general, the tundra areas can be characterized as
having low- to moderate-intensity surface fires that may kill all
aboveground parts but seldom destroy underground parts. The return
interval may be as short as 100 years in some areas, such as the Seward
Peninsula, but it is usually much longer. In some tundra areas, fire
may never have occurred under current climatic condi.tions. In general,
tundra fires are smaller than those in the adjacent taiga but under
extreme conditions may cover 100,000 or more hectares.

Before 1970, fire was not recognized as an important part of the

tundra environment. This was partly because evidence of fire cannot be
distinguished easily a few years after the fire, partly because the.
tundra is so remote, and perhaps also because tundra fires may not have
been common before the 1970s. There is some evidence that in Alaska,
fires may occur much less frequently on tundra than they do in the
taiga. Barney and Comiskey (1973) reported that only 1,600 hectares
burned on the north slopes of the Brooks Range between 1969 and 1971,
and they found little evidence of earlier fires.

Wein (1976) reported a number of fires for tundra areas from Alaska
and adjacent Canada. The largest of 10 fires in western Canadian tundra
was reported as only 1 km 2 , whereas the fires in Alaskan tundra were
general!¥ much larger, with three fires on the Seward Peninsula burning
1,600 km •

The fire history of the Seward Peninsula illustrates some of the

problems of fire documentation in remote tundra areas. Both Melchior
(1974) and Racine (1979) reviewed the fire history of the Peninsula.
The earliest records of fire come from geologists who in 1900 recorded
that fires and smoke hindered their surveying efforts. Survey parties
reported fires in 1903 and 1906. In 1926, Palmer reported that fires
were often set by prospectors to clear vegetation and expose underlying
rocks. According to Wein (1976), D. M. Hopkins of the u.s. Geological
Survey mentioned seeing tundra fires on the Seward Peninsula in 1947,
but did not recall seeing burned areas again until 1971.

Although BLM has kept records of Seward Peninsula fire locations

since 1956, Melchior and Racine did not use BLM records to reconstruct
the fire history of the Seward Peninsula because the records were diffi-
cult to access from their storage place in Denver, Colorado.

According to Salvatore De Leonardis, BLM, Alaska State Office

(personal communication), known early fires on the Seward Peninsula in-

14
elude a large fire northeast of Teller in about 1947, two fires near
Candle in about 1956 to 1958, and a 100,000-hectare fire south of
Selawik in 1957.

Melchior (1974), reviewing fire records for 1"969 to 1975, found tnat
during that period, 21 reported fires, all lightning caused, burned
122 km 2 on the Seward Peninsula. The peak year was 1971. Fires appar-
ently were uncommon on the Seward Peninsula during the period from 1973
to 1976, but the year 1977 brought attention to the fact that extensive
fires could occur in tundra areas in A~aska. During 1977, approximately
3,600 km 2 , almost all of which would be classified as tundra, burned on
the Seward Peninsula. In addition, large fires burned in several other
tundra areas, including the Arctic Slope.

The history of fire on the Seward Peninsula shows the difficulty of

determining fire frequency in tundra areas. Because of the lack of
trees for dating stand ages and because the vegetation recovers so
quickly, it is nearly impossible to recognize and age burned areas that
are more than a few years old. We know that there were extensive fires
during the gold exploration and mining era, up through the 1920s, but
we have no indication of nwnbers of fires or area burned until the BLM
began to keep records in 1940. Complete records are available only from
1969 to the present, and they indicate extensive burning of the Seward
Peninsula tundra in 1971 and 1977. The unusual circumstances of the
1977 fire season in western Alaska are documented in the BLM report,
The 1977 Fire Season (USDI, Bureau of Land Management 1977).
Investigations of the Kokolik River fire of 1977 on the Arctic
Slope showed that little is known of the fire history in that part of
Alaska. Barney and Comiskey (1973) state that the lightning fires dur-
ing the 1969-71 period were unique to the area and they could find.no
one who knew of earlier fires on the Arctic Slope. The Study Report 4
of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) Task Force (1978),
however, points out that five fires occurred east of NPR-A in 1969-71
and three known fires were inside an area adjacent to NPR-A in 1974-77.
These fires, especially the 44 km 2 Kokolik River fire of 1977, raise
a question about the frequency of tundra fires in all areas of the
Arctic Slope. Other questions are whether this apparent increase in
fires is due to increased reporting or whether fires actually have in-
creased on the Arctic Slope, perhaps because oil exploration and produc-
tion have increased there.
As has often been pointed out in ecological literature, the extreme
fire years may have far more influence on the ecological condition than
the normal or average years. We have no information on the frequency of
hot dry summers in tundra areas or the potential for numerous or exten-
sive fires during dry periods. The Seward Peninsula example shows that
dry years such as 1977 need occur only once or twice a century to have
an important influence on the tundra ecosystem.

One usually thinks of the c'ioud-covered Aleutian Islands as having

excesses of moisture and no wildfires. The authors of two separate

1b
papers on the vegetation of Amchitka Island, however, report fires in
the tundra on the Island. Shacklette et al. (1969) reported that during
the 1940s a I km 2 fire occurred in the crowberry heath type, which still
showed conspicuous differences compared with the surrounding vegetation.
Amundsen (1977) reported that on two occasions fire spread across crow-
berry meadow community types, but that the fire had no lasting effect on
the vegetation and no discernible effect on the substrate or subsequent
plant community composition.

Two authors attempted to summarize the history of tundra fires in

Canada. Wein (1976) recorded all known tundra fires west of Hudson Bay.
He found that only records of recent fires were available and that the
number of·fires reported was closely related to the accessibility of the
areas. He concluded that fire frequency is much less in Canadian tundra
areas than in forested regions and fires are small, usually less than
1 km 2 •

Shilts (1975) reported on a number of tundra fires in Keewatin,

just east of Hudson Bay, in 1973, which may have been an exceptional
fire year. He concluded that if the-1973 season were repeated randomly
once every 10 years, the entire study area of 143,000 km 2 would have
been hurried in 4,000 years. Such a fire frequency is low, but fire
still may be an important influence on periglacial and soil-forming
processes in the tundra.
This review of fire history in tundra areas shows the need for good
fire records. Well-mapped fire boundaries, good characterization of
vegetation types burned, and readily accessible records would aid
greatly in determining the fire frequencies in different vegetation
types and different areas in Alaska.

The importance of fire in the tundra types is difficult to determine

because of the broad use of the term "tundra" in many fire reports and
summaries. Bogs, grasslands, and even some forested areas have been
grouped with tundra in many reports. For·example, Adams (1974) reported
that half of the area within the Alaska taiga in interior Alaska is
considered "tundra." The moss mat in black spruce stands often is
incorrectly referred to as "tundra" in some fire suppression reports.

The importance of LANDSAT imagery for fire records should be noted.

Shilts (1975) and Rowe et al. (1975) in Canada, and Anderson and Belon
(1973), Nadler et al. (1978), LaPerriere (1976a, b), and Hall et al.
(1978) in Alaska have pointed out the value of using LANDSAT for mapping
recent tundra fire boundaries. Rowe et al. (1975) state that burned
areas can be mapped from LANDSAT images for up to 5 years after a fire.
The LANDSAT images can thus be used for developing information on fire
size and frequency in tundra areas, where fire records are usually not
complete and evidence of fires disappears within a few years.

16
 Selected References
on
Fire History and Fire Regimes

Albini, F. A. 1976. Estimating wildfire behavior and effects. USDA

For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rept. INT-30. 92 pp.

Arno, s. F. 1976. The historical role of fire on the Bitterroot

National Forest. USDA For. Serv. Res. Pap. INT-187. 29 pp.

Barney, R. J. 1969. Interior Alaska wildfires, 1956-1965. USDA For.

Serv., Pacific N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Inst. North. For.,
Juneau, Alaska. 47 pp.

1971. Selected 1966-69 interior Alaska wildfire statistics

with long-term comparisons. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W. For. and
Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon.· Res. Note PNW-154. 13 pp.

Barney, R. J., and A. L. Comiskey. 1973. Wildfires and thunderstorms

on Alaska's north slopes. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W. For. and
Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon. Res. Note PNW-212. 8 pp.

Barney, R. J., and B. J. Stocks. 1979. Fire frequencies in the

industrial period. In R. w. Wein, ed. Fire in northern circumpolar
ecosystems. Proceedings of a symposium. October 22-24, 1979.
Fredericton, New Brunswick. Proceedings in press.

Buskirk, s. 1976. A history of wildfires in Mount McKinley National

Park and adjacent lands. Mount McKinley National Park. Unpublished
Rept. 16 pp.

Fox, J. F .. 1978. Forest fires and the snowshoe hare--Canada lynx

cycle. Oecologia 31:349-374.

Frissell, S.S., Jr. 1973. The importance of fire as a natural

ecological factor in Itasca State Park, Minnesota. Quat. Res.
3(3) :397-407.

Heinselman, M. L. 1973. Fire in the virgin forests of the Boundary

Waters Canoe area, Minnesota. Quat. Res. 3(3) :329-382.

1978. Fire intensity and frequency as factors in the

distribution and structure of northern ecosystems. In H. Mooney,
J.M. Bennicksen, N. L. Christensen, J.E. Lotan, and w. A. Reiners,
eds. The role of past and present fire frequency and intensity on
ecosystem development and management. Proceedings of a symposium,
sponsored by the International Scientific Committee for Problems of

17
 the Environment (SCOPE). USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rept., Washing-
ton, D. C. Proceedings in press.

Johnson, E. A. 1975. Buried seed populations in the subarctic forest

east of Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories. Can. J. Bot.
53:2933-2941.

Lutz, H.J. 1955. Ecological effects of forest fires in the interior

of Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Alaska For. Res. Cent. Tech. Bull~ 1133.
121 pp.
Melchior, H. R., ed. 1974. Chukchi-Imuruk biological survey. Coop.
Park Studies Unit, Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks. Final Rept. 517 pp.

Racine, C.H. 1979. The 1977 tundra fires in the Seward Peninsula,
Alaska: effects and initial revegetation. USDI Bureau of Land
Management, Alaska. Tech. Rept. 4. 51 pp.

Rowe, J. s., J. L. Bergsteinsson, G. A. Padbury, and R. Hermesh. 1974.

Fire studies in the Mackenzie Valley. Arctic Land Use Res. Program,
Dept. Indian Affairs and N. Development, Ottawa. ALUR Rept. 73-74-
61. 123 pp.

Rowe, J. s., D. Spittlehouse, E. Johnson, and M. Jasieniuk. 1975.

Fire studies in the upper Mackenzie Valley and adjacent Precambrian
uplands. Arctic Land Use .Res.· Program. , Dept. Indian Affairs and N.
Develop., Ottawa. ALUR Rept. 74-75-61. 128 pp.

Tande, G. F. 1977. Forest fire history around Jasper townsite, Jasper

National Park, Alberta. M.S. Thesis, Univ. Alberta, Edmonton. 169 pp.

USDI, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska. 1978. Fire statistics.

Page 24 in The Land. Winter, Vol. 6.

Van Wagner, c. E. 1978. Age-class distribution and forest fire cycle.

Can. J. For. Res. 8:220-227.

Viereck, L.A., M. J. Foote, C. T. Dyrness, K. Van Cleve, D. Kane, and

R. Seifert. 1979. Preliminary results of experimental fires in the
black spruce type of interior Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W.
For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon. Res. Note PNW-332.
28 pp.

Wein, R. w. 1976. Frequency and characteristics of arctic tundra

fires. Arctic 29(4) :213-222.

Wilton, w. c., and c. H. Evans. 1974. Newfoundland forest fire history.

1619-1960. Can. Forest. Serv., Newfoundland For. Res. Cent. Inf.
Rept. N-X-116. 114 pp.

18
Yarie, J. 1979. A preliminary analysis of stand age distribution in
the Porcupine Inventory Unit. Abstr. Page 12 in proceedings of the
Thirtieth Alaska Sci-. Conf., Sept. 19-21, 1979. Amer. Assoc. Adv.
Sci. and Amer. Chem. Soc. Alaskan Sec. Fairbanks, Alaska.

EFFECTS of FIRE on SOILS

There are many different kinds of soils in Alaska because of the

large area, climatic diversity, various bedrocks, and wide diversity of
parent material related to recent glaciation or the lack of it. Accord-
ing to Rieger et al. (1979) five of the ten orders in soil taxonomy are
represented within the State. Poorly drained soils with permafrost
occupy one-third of interior, western, and arctic Alaska. Large areas
are covered by organic soils, which are frozen in most of interior
Alaska but unfrozen in coastal and southcentral Alaska. Most of the
best fore~ted sites are underlain by pennafrost-free, well-drained
soils--Cry?chrepts in the Interior and Cryothods in southcentral Alaska.

Although considerable information has been collected from many

regions on the effects of fire on soils, little infonnation is available
from Alaska. Lutz (1955) and Viereck (1973b) summarized the available
information. Kelsall et al. (1977) reviewed infonnation from northern
Canada and Alaska and Vire (196~ reviewed information from prescribed
burn studies in Scandinavia. Most recently, a state-of-the-art review
of the effects of fire on soil was prepared for all of North America
(Wells et al. 1979). Results varied so much from area to area that few
general conclusions could be drawn.

Forest Floor Characteristics

Most taiga soils have~ thick organic layer. In black spruce

stands on permafrost sites, the organic layer may be 50 cm or more
thick. The amount of organic layer removed by fire affects postfire
succession, soil temperatures, permafrost depths, and amounts·of nutri-
ents available.

Forest floor fire severity is important because it determines the

amount of organic material removed by the fire. This detennines to a
large degree the amount of warming and the changes in the active layer
that may occur. Forest floor fires also affect the amount of nutrients
released and may change the nutrient regime of the soil. In addition,
forest floor fires have a direct effect on revegetation because they may

19
leave some plant parts for vegetative reproduction and destroy others.
The amount of organic material remaining after fire also is important to
the revegetation by buried seed, and it may determine which seed and
spores that arrive after the fire establish successfully.

General observations on amount of organic layer removed by fires

in Alaska is available from the Wickersham Dome fire in the Interior.
This fire occurred early in the summer, before the organic layers had
dri~rl.Viereck and Dyrness (1979) found that~ cm of.organic layer was
re :dd from lightly burned plots anq 10 cm was removed from heavily
burned plots. This was approximately 20 and 30 percent, respectively,
of the organic layer. In other areas with thinner organic layers, the
fire removed much less forest floor.

In an experimental burn at Washington.Creek, we found that in July,

a fire that followed a heavy rainfall removed only 5 cm or 14 percent of
the forest floor, while in late August, a fire that followed a dry
period removed as much as 15 cm or 62 percent of the organic layer
(Viereck et al. 1979).

Wildfire in the spruce type in Alaska removes forest floor unevenly,

leaving a patchy mosaic. The condition of the forest floor, as well as
the amount of organic material removed, is used as an indicator of the
severity of a fire's effect on the forest floor. Five forest floor
severity classes were used to indicate degree of burning in the Wash-
ington Creek experimental fires (Viereck et al. 1979). These five
classes, which include one unburned class, are as follows:

l. Heavily burned: Deep ash layer present, organic material in

the soil consumed or nearly so to mineral soil, no discernible
plant parts remaining.

2. Moderately burned: Organic layer partially consumed, shallow

ash layer present, parts of woody twigs remaining.
3. Lightly burned: Plants charred but original form of mosses
and twigs visible.

4. Scorched: Moss and other plants brown or yellow but species

usually identifiable.

5. Unburned: Plant parts green and unchanged.

In subsequent work, Classes 3 and 4 were combined so that the

forest floor might be characterized as lightly, moderately, or heavily
burned.

Wells et al. (1979) pointed out that this system works well for
characterizing a given place but that additional criteria are needed for
characterizing the mosaic of burn patterns usually found in a larger

20
area. They suggested the following criteria, which may be useful to
consider for standardization in Alaska:

1. Severely burned: More than 10 percent of the area has spots

that are heavily burned, more than 80 percent moderately
burned, and the rest lightly burned.

2. Moderately burned: Less than 10 percent heavily burned, but

more than 15 percent moderately burned.

3. Lightly burned: Less than 2 percent heavily burned, less than

15 percent moderately burned, and the rest lightly burned or
not burned.

Soil Temperature

In the organic soils of Alaska most of a surface fire's heat is

lost into the air. If the organic layers are moist, little soil hea.ting
occurs (Agee 1973, Viereck et al. 1979). If most or all of the organic
layer burns, however, some heat may transfer to the soil, perhaps even
to mineral soil.

Van Wagner (1970) recorded heat gradients of 10 °c/mm in mineral

soil and 28 °c/mm in organic soils in Ontario experimental fires in the
jack pine type. He noted that surface temperatures of 450 °c would have
little effect below 5 cm in most northern forest soils. For the Inuvik
area in Northwest Territories, Mackay (1977) calculated that even if a
fire maintained a temperature at the surface of 500 °c for nearly 30
minutes, the temperature rise at 30 cm (in this case the depth of the
active layer) would be negligible.

No measurements have been published on the heat transfer during fire

in northern soils. Measurements taken to several depths before and
after the 1976 experimental fires at Washington Creek showed little or
no fire-related change in soil temperatures. Analysis of extensive soil
temperature measurements taken during the 1978 Washington Creek experi-
mental fires should increase our understanding of heat transfer in the
organic layers in the black spruce type for a wide range of burning
conditions.

Long-term effects of fire on soil temperatures result from removal

of the insulating organic layer, change in surface albedo, i.e., its
ability to absorb or reflect heat, and the removal of the vegetation
overstory. These long-term changes are discussed in the section on
permafrost (page 24 ).

21
 Soll Moisture

The effects of fire on soil moisture content seem to depend on the

severity of the fire, the type of soil involved, the presence and
absence of permafrost, and probably other factors. Lutz (1955) cites
early work by Buhler (1918) and others to indicate that''· •• where the
ground water is close to the surface, destruction of forest vegetation
is known to result in a rise of the water table, producing swamp
conditions."

The same phenomenon has been reported from Siberia by Kryuchkov,

who indicated that following fire on permafrost soil, there was a sur-
plus of moisture near treeline. He felt that the increased moisture
caused a rich growth of vegetation that eventually caused the active
layer to become shallower. Kane et al. (1975) found that following the
Wickersham Dome fire, soil moisture increased compared with soil mois-
ture in the unburned stand. They thought the increase was caused by
reduced evapotranspiration.

On dryer sites with little organic material or where most or all of

the organic layer is removed, however, soil moisture levels may be re-
duced or may fluctuate following fire. Kershaw and Rouse (1971) found
that soil moisture was lower and fluctuated more on lichen woodland
sites that had burned than on those that had not burned. In unburned
lichen woodlands, the lichen layer tends to retain moisture and prevent
evaporation, whereas the moisture evaporates quickly from the mineral
soil exposed after fire.

In Alaska, it has been observed but not reported in the literature

(personal conununication, R. Norum 1977) that immediately after a fire,
surface water is visible from the air. This may be partly because
surface water is more visible after vegetation is burned away, but it is
also thought that the water may come from melting permafrost layers. In
addition, plant evapotranspiration ceases when fire kills the plants.

Soil Wettability

Following intense fires in many areas, especially in the southwest-

ern United States, a water-repellent soil layer has been observed
(DeBano et al. 1967). This has also been observed in the Pacific North-
west (Dyrness 1976). The only report of water-repellent soils in north-
ern areas is given in Kelsall et al. (1977), who quote an unpublished
report by Johnson and Rowe (1973) that water-repellent soils are wide-
spread west of Great Slave Lake and are usually associated with fire-
prone vegetation. No reports of water-repellent soils following fires
have been recorded from Alaska.

22
 Soil Nutrients

The effects of fire on soil nutrients vary. As with other soil

properties, they depend mostly on fire intensity and severity, site
condition, and original soil properties. In general, however, fire in
the North is reported to make soil nutrients more available to plants.
This accounts somewhat for increased site productivity after fire, .
especially in vegetation types on deep forest floors that have built up
because of a slow decomposition rate. In these cases, burning releases
plant nutrients that were tied up in the organic layers and not available
to plants before a fire.

While pH usually tends to be acidic in northern organic soils, the

acidity is dramatically increased by fire (Lutz 1955, Scatter 1971a,
Armson 1969, Braathe 1974, Uggla 1958, Wells et al. 1979). Usually,
exchangeable phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium also increase
after the fire, but amounts vary considerably and some losses have been
reported.

In some studies, immediate nutrient increases were reported to be

followed.by leaching losses. As a result, smaller amounts of nutrients
could be available a few years following the fire than were available
before the fire. Vire (1969) reported his study after prescribed burn-
ing in Scandinavia. He observed that there may be some phosphorus
leaching, but loss of other mineral nutrients is negligible. Weber
(1975) found an increase in phosphorus level the first season after
burning, with a phosphorus decrease in subsequent years in small experi-
mentally burned plots in the Northwest Territories, Canada. In postfire
soil tests in northern Saskatchewan, Scotter (1963) found an increase in
phosphorus and calcium, a decrease in pH, and no difference in potas-
sium, magnesium, and sodium.

Changes in available nitrogen following fire in northern areas seem

to vary and be subject to different interpretations. This is largely
because nitrogen exists in several forms. Considerable amounts of
nitrogen are lost as gas through volatilization when the forest floor
and vegetation burn (Debell and Ralston 1970, Lutz 1955, Wells et al.
1979). Van Cleve (1971) estimates that as much as 2,000 kg/ha of nitro-
gen could be lost through the burning of the top S cm of the forest
floor. Some of the nitrogen in the lower layers, however, may be
converted to usable ammonia and nitrogen as a result of the fire. These
become available to plants (Vire 1969). Heilman (1966, 1968) points out
that much of the soil nitrogen tied up in the lower organic layers and
in the permafrost may become available to the plants over several years
followinq the fire, when the soils are warmer and the active layer
thicker. Wells et al. (1979) point out that in many areas after fire,
nitrogen fixation, both symbiotic and nonsymbiotic, is more active and
may restore the nitrogen lost. This has not been reported for northern
soils, however.

23
 Information is lacking on the long-term effects of fire on soil
nutrients. Weber (1974) found that nutrient increases seen the first
season following fire were not followed by decreases in subsequent
years. In an oft-quoted study from Norway, Skoklefald (1973) found that
seedlings of Norway spruce and Scotch pine grew better on burned sites
for 12 years, but after that, growth was better on the unburned sites.

Data on soil nutrient changes following fire in Alaska are extremely

few. Lutz (1955) drew his conclusions primarily from other northern
literature, mainly from Hesselman in Sweden, with the aid of data from
10 soil profiles in older white spruce stands on the Kenai Peninsula.
Studying soil nutrients one year after a fire in black spruce in eastern
Alaska, he found no significant differences but found a slight decrease
in total cation exchange and an increase in potassium.

The soils analyses for nutrient changes following the Wickersham

Dome fire were inconclusive because of high variability and because 15 cm
cones of soil were taken for samples. This method masked any changes in
the upper few centimeters of soil, where most changes would take place
(Dyrness, in Viereck and Dyrness 1979).

Soil samples taken before and after the 1976 experimental fires in·
Washington Creek were analyzed for phosphorus only. In that study the
available phosphorus increased by up to 50 times after the fire.

Dyrness carried out intensive soil sampling before and after the
seven 1978 experimental fires. His samples are being analyzed and
should provide useful information on the effects of various severities
of fire on soil nutrients in the black spruce type.

Permafrost

Permafrost, a convenient short term for "permanently frozen ground,"

is defined·as any part of the earth's crust, bedrock or soil mantle,
that remains below 32° F (O 0 c) continuously for a number of years
(Brown 1970). In Alaska permafrost is continuous in the northern and
western areas, discontinuous in much of interior Alaska, and sporadic in
southcentral Alaska (Ferrians 1965). "Continuous permafrost" means that
permafrost underlies all or nearly all of the landscape, including small
ponds and streams. In the zone of discontinuous permafrost, most north-
facing and low-lying areas are underlain by permafrost, but south-facing
slopes and areas surrounding bodies of water may be permafrost free. In
the zone of sporadic permafrost, permanently frozen ground is limited to
small patches and is usually confined to peat deposits.

The frozen material may be as thick as 300 meters in northern areas

but only one to a few meters near the southern limit of permafrost.

?4
Temperatures of the frozen material may be just below O 0 c in southern
areas to as low as -15 °c in northern areas. Permafrost soils may be
nearly ice free in coarse parent material or contain as much as 50 per-
cent ice in fine-textured soil material. Ice-rich soils are important
in relation to fire effects and fireline construction because the
melting of the ice within permafrost causes subsidence and erosion.

FIRE EFFECTS and the ACTIVE LA YER

The thickness of the underlying permafrost is not as important in
consideration of fire effects as the depth of seasonal thaw. This soil
layer that overlies permafrost thaws each year and is termed the "active
layer." In northern soils with thick moss cover, the active layer may
not be more than 40 cm thick; in mineral soil it may be 2 to 3 m (Brown
1970). The thickness of the active layer is increased by fire and other
disturbance.

The effects of fire on permafrost have been reviewed by Viereck

(1973a), Kelsall et al. (1977), Brown and Grave (1979), and Brown (1979).
Different reported fire effects on permafrost and soil temperature are
largely due to differences in fire severity. In unburned areas the
thick moss layer of northern spruce forests acts as an efficient insu-
lator during the warm summer months, often limiting the seasonal thaw
depth (the active layer) to less than 1 m. Typically in black spruce
and tundra types, thaw depths range only from 30 to 75 cm. In burned
areas, however, although the heat of the fire seems to have little
effect on the active layer depth (Viereck et al. 1979), the removal of
some of the insulating moss, the change in surface albedo, and removal
of overstory vegetation result in warmer soil temperatures. Sununer soil
temperatures following fires were 3 to 5.5 °c warmer than before a fire
in the lichen woodland, Northwest Territories (Rouse 1976) and about
6 °c warmer (at 10 and 20 cmy in a black spruce feathermoss layer
following the Wickersham Dome fire in interior Alaska (Viereck and
Dyrness 1979).

The long-term studies of Mackay (1977) and Viereck and Dyrness

(1979) have yielded the best information on increased thawing following
fire in northern taiga areas. Mackay followed the thaw depth after the
1968 fire at Inuvik. His data show a rapidly increasing depth of thaw
each year for the first 4 years and then continued thawing at a reduced
rate during the next 4 years. After 8 years the active layer increased
from 38 to 92 cm in depressions and from 60 to 114 cm on ridges.

In Alaska, changes in the active layer thickness at the 1971

Wickersham Dome fire site have been monitored for 8 years. Active layer
thickness has increased at a relatively constant rate and shows no sign
of leveling. The thaw depth has increased from approximately 45 cm in
1971 to 183 cm in 1979. A comparison of thaw rates after_ the Inuvik and

25
 0

--~~----.....__Wickersham
50 control

-
E
~ 100
··...
··..·•. --::::····~··...-.....-....-....-.- - - - - - - - - ~ ~ n : ; : : s s i o n s

:t ··.··•
ca
..c ·~ ····•........., ............., ........, ......\
lnuvik
ridges

-
t-
0
·-··········-···············-.
-
..c
c. 150
CD
Q
..'•. "\...,.\
E ··..
::,
E
··••.... ··········... Wickersham
><
ca
··... fire
~ 200
·•.
······-···-·················
•••••••••••••••• Wickersham
00

fireline

250----.----t----+----t----+-----1~---4----,~--~
.o 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Years Following Fire

Fig. 2. Thaw depths for B years following the 1971 Wickersham Dome
fire in Alaska and the 1968 Inuvik fire in Northwest Terri tori es, ·Canada.

Wickersham Dome fires (Fig. 2) shows that the thaw depths continue to
increase although the vegetation cover has been reestablished (Viereck,
in Viereck and Dyrness 1979, and unpublished data).

The length of time required for the active layer to stabilize and
return to its original thickness is not known. It will depend, to some
degree, on the depth of the organic layer removed and the rate of revege-
tation. At the Wickersham Dome site the reestablished vegetation does
not seem to be as good an insulator as are the feathermosses found in
the mature spruce stands. The active layer probably will not reach its
original thickness until the spruce stand with its feathermoss layer is
well established. By comparing the active layer thickness in a number
of known-aged burns, Viereck (1973b) predicted that the active layer
returns to its original thickness in interior Alaska approximately 50
years after fire. This agrees with Foote (1976), who reports that in
the black spruce type, the canopy is reestablished 50 to 70 years

26
following fire. In northern Northwest Territories, Canada, in an area
with a mean annual temperature of -10 °c, the active layer thickness may
be as little as 29 cm only 29 years following a fire (Black and Bliss
1978).

Increased soil temperatures and a thicker active layer can have

beneficial and detrimental effects on the ecosystem. Wanner soil temp-
erature and greater active layer thickness increase nutrient turnover
and ~vailability of nutrients to developing vegetation. Warmer soil·
improves growing conditions and accounts for increased productivity of
sites after fire.

Detrimental effects of increased thawing of the pennafrost layer

are twofold. on steep slopes, release of the water in the previously
frozen substrate, together with the removal of some or all of the over-
lying vegetation mat, may cause slope instability. This has resulted in
mud- and landslides after fires in northern Canada (Heginbottom 1973,
Rowe et al. 1974, Strang 1973a). Slides have also been observed on the
1966 Chicken fire and the 1971 Wickersham Dome fire sites in interior
Alaska (Viereck, unpublished data; Lotspeich et al. 1970). In general,
these slides occur on few burned areas in Alaska, primarily because the
fires are seldom severe enough to completely remove the organic layer.

A second result of deeper thawing is the formation of thermokarst.

This mounded and gullied topography results from the differential thaw-
ing of bodies of pure ice, usually in a polygonal pattern, lying at
various depths in the organic and mineral substrate. In most cases,
this thawing and subsidence is gradual over several years and seldom
results in serious erosion and siltation. Occasionally, however, when
thawing occurs where there is running water, active gullies may form.
The length of time thermokarst topography may last after fire is not
well documented, but at some sites in interior Alaska it remains 60-75
years following a fire (Viereck 1973a).

FROST ACTION after FIRE

The role of fire in initiating or increa~ing frost action may be of
special importance to understanding the revegetation process in some
tundra types.

One effect of fire on tundra soils is that it increases the

thickness of the active layer. Fire, however, may have more significance
in changing the active layer in forested than in tundra soils because
overstory removal has less effect in tundra vegetation than in taiga.
No long-term measurements have been made of active layer thickness
changes in tundra areas. The 6-year record by Mackay (1977) from Inuvik
is in an area that was originally forest rather than tundra.

27
 First- and second-year measurements following fire in tundra areas
are abundant, however. Wein and Bliss (1973) studied four areas:
1. the Elliott Highway--tussock tundra; 2. the Mosquito Fork on the
Taylor Highway--tussocks with scattered black spruce; 3. Inuvik, NWT-
tussocks with scattered trees; and 4. the Caribou Hills, NWT--tussock
tundra. They found that the active layer depth increased by 35 to 59
percent in June and by about 25 percent in late autumn l year following
fires. Variation in thaw depth was related to the surface conditions
following fire, especially to the amount of organic material remaining~
Racine {1979) found little difference in thaw depth one year
following the Seward Peninsula fires, but he found that the thaw went
relatively deeper, reaching more frequently to mineral soil because of
the removal of 5 to 15 cm of the original peat surface. One month
following the Kokolik fire, the active layer was 35.4 cm thick compared
with the 26.6 cm thickness in adjacent unburned tundra (Hall et al.
1978).

In the Soviet Union, Kryuchkov (1968) reported that after fire, the
active layer thickness may be less than before because of the vigorous
growth of the overlying sedges. Studies in Alaska and northern Canada
have not indicated this, perhaps because of the lack of long-term
measurements following fire in tundra areas.

Some investigators have reported that frost features, especially

frost boils, become much more conspicuous following fire in some types
of tundra (Racine 1979, Viereck and Johnson, pers. comm. 1979). This
needs more investigation. Burning away of the organic material may make
frost features more conspicuous, or the frost scars may actually be
churned more actively. Racine's observations are from the Seward Penin-
sula and Viereck and Johnson observed frost features in some areas of
the Kokolik River fire.

FIRELINES on PERMAFROST
A special problem occurs in areas underlain by ice-rich permafrost
when vegetation and organic layers are removed by large equipment for
fireline construction. The complete removal of the organic layer results
in a deeper thaw than occurs under the burn itself. On ice-rich perma-
frost terrain, the effects can be disastrous. Some observers have
stated that the effects of fire suppression activities are greater and
last longer than the effects of the fire.

A fireline at the 1971 Wickersham Dome fire has thawed to 227 cm in

8 years, although an adjacent burned area has thawed to only 183 cm
(Fig. 2). Subsidence of 1 meter and more is reported from the thawing
under firelines at Inuvik (Mackay 1977). Because firelines are often
located straight down slopes and in valley bottoms, water concentrates
in the thaw areas and active water erosion is added to thermal subsi-

28
dence. Continued subsidence makes the surface unstable, and gullies are
prevented from stabilizing. This erosion, siltation, subsidence, and
gullying may continue for 10 years or more after fireline construction.
Consequently, the lines may remain conspicuous features of the landscape
long after fire effects can be discerned.

Selected References
on
Effects of Fire on Soils
Ahlgren, I. F., and c. E. Ahlgren. 1960. Ecological effects of forest
fires. Bot. Rev. 26:483-533.

Agee, J. K. 1973. Prescribed fire effects on physical and hydrologic

properties of mixed-conifer forest floor and soils. Contrib. Rept.
No. 143, Water Resour. Cent. Univ. Calif. 57 pp.

Armson, K. A. 1969. The effects of forest fires on the physical and

chemical properties of soils in northwestern Ontario. Abstr. Ontario
Rept. Forest. Res., Faculty of Forest., Univ. of Toronto. Vol. 3.
Forest. Abstr., Vol. 31. 1970.

Black, R. A., and L. C. Bliss. 1978. Recovery sequence o_f Picea

mariana-Vaccinium uliginosum forests after burning near Inuvik,
Northwest Territories, Canada. Can. J. Bot. 56:2020-2030.

Bliss, L. C., ed. 1973. Botanical studies of natural and man-modified

habitats in the Mackenzie Valley, Eastern Mackenzie Delta Region and
the Arctic Islands. Environ. Soc. Com~, Northern Pipelines, Task
Force on N. Oil Develop. Rept. No. 73-43. 162 pp.
Bliss, L. c., and R. w. Wein. 1971. Changes in the active layer caused
by surface disturbance. Pages 37-47 in R. J.E. Brown, ed. Proceed-
ings of a seminar on the permafrost active layer. Natl. Res. Counc.
Can. Tech. Memo. No. 130.

Braathe, P. 1974. Prescribed burning in Norway - effects on soil and

regeneration. Pages 211-222 in Proceedings of the Tall Timbers Fire
Ecol. Conf. No. 13, March 22-23, 1973.

Brown, J., and N. A. Grave. 1979. Physical and thennal disturbance and
protection of permafrost. U.S. Army Corps Eng., Cold Reg. Res. and
Eng. Lab. Hanover, New Hampshire. Spec. Rept. 79-5. 43 pp.

Brown, J., and W. Rickard. 1969. The thawing of soils associated with

29
 Eriophorum tussocks. U.S. Army Corps Eng., Cold Reg. Res. and Eng.
Lab. Hanover, New Hampshire. Prog. Rept. 94 pp.

Brown, J., w. Rickard, and D. Vietor. 1969. The effect of disturbance

on permafrost terrain. U.S. Army Corps Eng., Cold Reg. Res. and Eng.
Lab. Hanover, New Hampshire. Spec. Rept. 138. 9 pp.

Brown, R. J.E. 1970. Permafrost in Canada. Its-influence on northern

development. Univ. Toronto Press, Toronto. 234 pp.

1979. Effects of fire on the permafrost ground thermal

regime in northern circumpolar ecosystems. In R. w. Wein, ed.
Fire in northern circumpolar ecosystems. Proceedings of a symposium.
October 22-24, 1979. Fredericton, New Brunswick. Proceedings in -
press.

DeBano, L. F., J. F. Osborn, J. S. Krammes, and J. Letey, Jr. 1967.

Soil wettability and wetting agents ••• our current knowledge of the
problem. USDA For. Serv., S.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn. Berkeley,
Calif. Res. Pap. PSW-43. 13 pp.

Debell, D.S., and c. W. Ralston. 1970. Release of nitrogen by burning

light forest fuels. Proceedings of the Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. 34:936-938.

De Leonardis, S. 1971. Effects of fire and fire control methods in

interior Alaska. Pages 101-105 in C. w. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and
G. M. Hansen, eds. Fire in the northern environment. Proceedings of
a symposium. April 13-14, 1971. Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv.
Pacific N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn. Portland, Oregon.

Dyrness, c. T. 197~. Effect of wildfire on soil wettability in High

Cascades of Oregon. USDA For. Serv. Pacific N.W. For. and Range
Exp. Stn. Portland, Oregon. Res. Pap. PNW-202. 18 pp.

Gagnon. J. D. 1965. Nitrogen deficiency in the York River burn,

GaspE , Quebec. Plant and Soil 23-:49-59.

Grier, C. C. 1975. Wildfire effects on nutrient distribution and

leaching in a coniferous ecosy~t!311'. Can. J. For. Res. 5:599-607.

Grigal, D. F. 1979. Extractable soil nutrients and permafrost under

adjacent forest types in interior Alaska. Northwest Sci. 53:43-50.

Haag, R. w. 1973. Energy budget changes following surface disturbance

to two northern vegetation types. Pages 6-26 in L. C. Bliss, ed.
Botanical studies of natural and man-modified habitats in the
Mackenzie Valley, Eastern Mackenzie Delta Region and the Arctic Islands.
Environ. Soc. Com., Northern Pipelines, Task Force on N. Oil Develop.
Rept. No. 73-43.

30
Haag, R. w., and L. C. Bliss. 1974. Energy budget changes following
surface disturbance to upland tundra. J. Appl. Ecol. 11:355-374.

Heginbottom, J. A. 1973. Some effects of surface disturbance on the

permafrost active layer at Inuvik, N.W.T. Environ. Soc. Com., North-
ern Pipelines, Task Force on N. Oil Develop. Rept. 73-16. 29 pp.
and appendix.

Heilman, P. E. 1966. Change in distribution and availability of nitro-

gen with forest succession on north slopes in interior Alaska. Ecology
47:825-831.
Heilman, P. E. 1968. Relationship of availability of phosphorus and
cations to forest succession and bog formation in interior Alaska.
Ecology 49:331-336.
Kane, o. L. 1975. Winter soil water dynamics. Inst. Water Res., Univ.
Alaska, Fairbanks. Completion Rept., OWRR Contract No. 14-31-001-
5002, IWR-70. 10 pp.

Kane, D. L., J. N. Luthin, and G. s. Taylor. 1975. Heat and mass

transfer in cold regions soils. Inst. Water Res., Univ. Alaska,
Fairbanks. Rept. No. IWR-65. 50 pp.

Kane, D. L., R. D. Seifert, and G. S. Taylor. 1978. Hydrologic pro-

perties of subarctic organic soils. Inst. Water Res., Univ. Alaska,
Fairbanks. Rept. No. IWR-88, 49 pp.

Kelsall, J.P., E. s. Telfer, and T. D. Wright. 1977. The effects of

fire on the ecology of the boreal forest with particular reference
to the Canadian North: a review and selected bibliography. Can.
Wildl. Serv. Occas. Pap. 32. 58 pp.

Kershaw, K. A., and W.R. Rouse. 1971. Studies on lichen-dominated

systems. I. The water relations of Cladonia al~estris in spruce-
lichen woodland in northern Ontario. Can. J. Bot. 49:1389-1399.

Kershaw, K. A., W.R. Rouse, and B. T. Bunting. 1975. The impact of

fire on forest and tundra ecosystems. Arctic Land Use Res. Program,
Dept. Indian Affairs and N. Develop., Ottawa. North of 60. ALUR
Rept. 74-75-63. 81 pp.

Knight, H. 1966. Loss of nitrogen from the forest floor by burning.

Forest. Chron. 42(2):149-152.

Kryuchkov, V. v. 1968. Soils of the far north should be conserved.

Priroda, No. 12, pages 72-74. Translation, pages 11-13 in: J. Brown,
W. Rickard, and D. Vietor. The effect of disturbance on permafrost
terrain. U.S. Army Corps Eng., Cold Reg. Res. and Eng. Lab. Hanover,
New Hampshire. Spec. Rept. 138.

31
Kryuchkov, v. v. 1978. Man's impact on tundra ecosystems. Polar Geogr.
2:200-215. (From Chutkaya Subarktika [The sensitive subarctic].)
Moscow: Nauka, 1976. Pages 113-134.
Lutz, H.J. 1954. Effects of fire on soils in northern forests.
Pages 54-55 in: Proceedings of the Amer. Assoc. Advance. Sci.,
Third Alaskan Sci. Conf.

1955. Ecological effects of forest fires in the interior

of Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Alaska For. Res. Cent. Tech. Bull.
1133. 121 pp.

Mackay, J. R. 1966. Tundra and taiga. Pages 156-171 in F. Darling

and J.P. Milton, eds. Future environments of North America.
Natural History Press, New York. Reprinted in J. G. Nelson and
M. J. Chambers, eds. Vegetation, soils and wildlife 1969. Process
and method ~n Canadian geography. Methuen, Toronto.

1970. Disturbances to the tundra and forest tundra environ-

ment of the western Arctic. Can. Geotech. J. 7:420-432.

1977. Changes in the. active layer from 1968 to 1976 as

a result of the Inuvik fire. Report of activities. Pages 273-275
in Part B: Geel. Surv. Can., Pap. 77-lB.

Maclean, D. A., and R. w. Wein. 1977. Nutrient accumulation for

postfire jack pine and hardwood succession patterns in New
Brunswick. Can. J. For. Res. 7:562-578.

McColl, J. G., and D. F. Grigal. 1977. Nutrient changes following a

forest wildfire in Minnesota: effects in watersheds with differing
soils. Oikos 28:105-112.

Murray, J. M.i J. S. Rowe, o. L. Shaw, and~- Read. 1971. University

of Saskatchewan. Final Report. Can. Dept. Indian Affairs and N.
Develop., Arctic Land Use Res. No. 1. 129 pp.

Neiland, B. J. 1975. Investigations of possible correlations of

vegetation, substrate, and topography in in~erior Alaska. Final
Rept. to BLM on Contract No. 535-CT-l-355(N). 61 pp. and appendixes
numbered separately.

Pettapiece, W. w. 1974. A hummocky permafrost soil from the subarctic

of northwestern Canada and some influences of fire. Can. J. Soil Sci.
54:343-355.

Racine, C.H. 1979. The 1977 tundra fires in the Seward Peninsula,
Alaska: effects and initial revegetation. USDI Bureau of Land Manage-
ment, Alaska. Tech. Rept. 4. 51 pp.

32
Rieger, s., D. B. Schoephorster, and c. E. Furbush. 1979. Exploratory
soil survey of Alaska. USDA Soil Conservation Service. 213 pp. and
23 maps.
Rouse, W.R. 1976. Microclimatic changes accompanying burning in
subarctic lichen woodland. Arctic and Alpine Res. 8:357-376.

Rouse, w. R., and K. A. Kershaw. 1971. The effects of burning on

the heat and water regimes of lichen-dominated subarctic surfaces.
Arctic and Alpine Res. 3:291-304.

Rowe, J. s., J. L. Bergsteinsson, G. A. Padbury, and R. Hennesh.

1974. Fire studies in the Mackenzie Valley. Arctic Land Use Res.
Program, Dept. Indian Affairs and N. Develop., Ottawa. ALUR Rept.
73-74-61. 123 pp.

Scotter, G. W. 1963. Effects of forest fires on soil properties in

northern Saskatchewan. Forest. Chron. 39(4):412-421.

1971a. Fire, vegetation, soil, and barren-ground caribou

relations in northern Canada. Pages 209-230 inc. w. Slaughter, R. J.
Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds. Fire in the northern environment.
Proceedings of a symposium. April 1971. Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For.
Serv., Pacific N. w. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon.

Siren, G. 1955. The development of spruce forest on raw humus sites

in northern Finland and its ecology. Soc. Forest. Publ. Helsinki,
Finland. 408 pp.

Skoklefald, s. 1973. Virkning av flatebrenning pa en en del humus-

egenskaper og pa etablering og hoydevekst hos gran og furu. Effect
of controlled burning on some humus properties and on the establish-
ment and height growth of Norway spruce and Scots pine. (In Norwegian
with Engl. summary.) Det Norske Skogforsoksvesen, As Norge.
Pages 472-504.

Smith, D. W. 1970. Concentrations of soil nutrients before and after

fire. Can. J. Soil Sci. 50:17-29.

Smith, D. W., and T. D. James. 1978. Characteristics of prescribed

burns and resultant short-term.environmental changes in Populus
tremuloides woodland in southern Ontario. Can. J. Bot. 56:1782-1791.

Strang, R. M. 1973a. Studies of vegetation, landform, and permafrost

in the Mackenzie Valley: some case histories of disturbance. Environ-
Soc. Com., Northern Pipelines, Canad. Task Force on Oil Develop.,
Ottawa, Ontario. Rept. No. 73-14. 49 pp.

Viereck, L.A., M. J. Foote, c. T. Dyrness, K. Van Cleve, D. Kane,

and R. Seifert. 1979. Preliminary results of experimental fires

33
 in the black spruce type of interior Alaska. USDA For. Serv.,
Pacific N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon, Res.
Note PNW-332. 28 pp.

Viro, P. J. 1969. Prescribed burning in forestry. Commun. Inst.

For. Fenn. 67(7). 49 pp.

weber, M. G. 1975. Nutrient budget changes following fire in arctic

plant communities. Pages 92-115 in Arctic Land Use Res. Progr.,
Dept. Indian Affairs and N. Develop~, Ottawa, Ontario. ALUR Rept.
74-75-62.
Wein, R. _W., and L. c. Bliss. 1973. Changes in arctic Eriophorum
tussock communities following fire. Ecology 54:845-852.

wells, c. G. 1971. Effects of prescribed burning on soil chemical

properties and nutrient availability. Pages 86-97 in proceedings of
a symposium on prescribed burning. USDA For. Serv., S.E. For. Exp.
Stn., Ashville, North Carolina.

Zoltai, s.c. 1975. Structure of subarctic forests on hummocky penna-

frost terrain in northwestern Canada. Can. J. For. Res. 5:1-9.

EFFECTS of FIRE on WATERSHEDS

Available Information
The degree of impact fire has on basic hydrological processes is
related to size and severity of the fire aswell as site characteris-
tics, rainfall, and firefighting methods employed. Large intense fires,
however, appear to have the greatest potential for watershed and wild-
life habitat damage (Rouse and Mills 1976, Tiedemann et al. 1979). Un-
fortunately, most Alaska hydrological data come from short-term studies.
Long-range investigations would increase our understanding of fire's
effect on hydrological processes in the North.

An increase in runoff after fire has been observed by many inves-

tigators. Following a wildfire in northcentral Washington, Helvey
(1972) observed a SO-percent increase in runoff the first year. Rates
of discharge are influenced by incoming precipitation (snowmelt, rain)
and the capacity .of soil to retain water. In turn, water-retention
capabilities of soil are influenced by many factors, including slope,
amount and duration of precipi ta.tion, soil characteristics, presence of
permafrost, and amount and type of the vegetation present.

34
 The taiga of Alaska seems to be fairly stable with regard to runoff
and erosion. Viereck (1973b) credits this stability to the high water-
holding capacity of the soil organic layers, rapid revegetation of par-
tially burned organic soils, long periods when the soil is frozen, and
low summer rainfall.
Serious erosion has resulted in the past from firelines constructed
on permafrost terrain (Bolstad 1971, De Leonardis 1971). Fireline con-
struction has been thought to have caused more erosion in some places
than the effects of fire. To prevent erosion, every effort should be
made to locate firelines away from low-lying permafrost sites and poorly
drained areas. Studies by Neiland (1978), Bolstad (1971), and others
have shown that serious erosion on firelines. can be curbed by use of
waterbars and other diversions and consideration of the terrain.

In Alaska and other northern regions, erosion can increase after

severe fires that remove the insulating vegetation layer. Wanner soil
temperatures lead to thawing of the permafrost layer. Water buildup in
the previously frozen soil can lead to slumping and mud- and landslides·,
particularly on steep slopes. These phenomena have been observed follow-
ing fires in northern Canada (Brown 1970, Heginbottom 1973, Rowe et al.
1974) and in Alaska on the 1966 Chicken fire and the 1971 Wickersham
Dome fire site (Lotspeich et al. 1970; Viereck, unpublished data).

Thaw rates monitored after the Wickersham Dome and Inuvik fires
show that the thaw depth continued to increase in spite of the fact that
vegetation cover was reestablished (Viereck, in Viereck and Dyrness 1979;
Viereck, unpublished data; Mackay 1977). The active layer should even-
tually stabilize and return to its original thickness. (See section on
permafrost, page 24.)

Buckley (1958) reported decreases in water levels following

extensive fires in 1950 in the Yukon Delta area of Alaska. He observed
no conclusive evidence linking fire to the drop in the water level,
however.

Losses of nitrogen and other nutrients increase after severe

wildfires in some northern areas (Bradbury et al. 1975, Tiedemann et al.
1978). In interior Alaska after the Washington Creek fire, potassium
concentrations were higher in streams draining burned areas than in·
streams draining unburned areas. Sediment load also increased in
Washington Creek as a result of the thermal erosion of firelines
(Lotspeich 1972). According to Tiedemann et al. (1979), " •.• nutrient
losses via sediment and solution ••• in general do not appear to repre-
sent a significant proportion of total site nutrient capitals."

Lotspeich (1972) investigated the effects of dropping 227 thousand

liters of fire retardant in a small watershed during the 1971 Wickersham
Dome fire. The retardant did not appear to cause high phosphate or
nitrogen concentrations in Washington Creek. Even so, Lotspeich recom-

35
mended that retardants not be dropped near running water, to prevent
adding loads of these chemicals to streams.

Selected References
on
Effects of Fire on Watersheds

Bolstad, R. 1971. Catline rehabilitation and restoration. Pages 107-

116· inc. w. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds. Fire in
the northern environment. April 1971. Fairbanks,, Alaska. USDA For.
serv., Pacific N. w. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland Oregon.

Bradbury, J.P., S. J. Tarapchak, J. c. B. Waddington, and R. F. Wright.

1975. The impact of a forest fire on a wilderness lake in north-
eastern Minnesota. Verh. Internat. Limnol. 19:875-883.

Brown, R. J.E. 1970. Permafrost in Canada. Its influence on northern

development. Univ. Toronto Press. Toronto. 234 pp.

Buckley, J. L. 1958. Effects of fire on Alaskan wildlife. Proc. Soc.

Amer. Foresters, Syracuse, N.Y. 58:123-126.

De Leonardis, S. 1971. Effects of fire and fire control methods in

interior Alaska. Pages 101-105 in C. W. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and
G. M. Hansen, eds. Fire in the northern environment. Proceedings
of a symposium. April 1971. Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv.,
Pacific N. w. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon ..

Heginbottom-, J. A. 1973. Some effects of surface disturbance on the

permafrost active layer at Inuvik, N.W.T. Environ. Soc. Com., North-
ern Pipelines Task Force on N. Oil Develop., Rept. 73-16, 29 pp. and
appendix.

Helvey, J. D. 19728 First-year effects of wildfire on water yield and

stream temperature in north-central Washington. Pages 308-312 in
proceedings of a national symposium on. watersheds in transition.
Amer. Water Reso~r. Assoc. and Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins,
Colorado.

Lotspeich, F. B. 1972. Effects of Wickersham Dome fire on water

quality of Washington Creek. Environ. Prat. Agency, Alaska Water
Lab., College [Fairbanks], Alaska. Working Pap. No. 14. 17 pp.

36
Lotspeich, F. B., E.W. Mueller, and P. J. Frey. 1970. Effects of large
scale forest fires on water quality in interior Alaska. USDI, Fed.
Pollution Control Admin., Alaska Water Lab. College [Fairbanks], Alaska.
115 pp.
Mackay, J. R. 1977. Changes in the active layer from 1968 to 1976 as
a result of the Inuvik fire. Pages 273-275 in Rept. of Activities.
Part B: Geol. Surv. Can., Pap. 77-lB.
Neiland, B. J. 1978. Ecological investigations of the firelines of
the Wickersham Dome fire. Final Rept. BLM Contract No. YA-512-CT6-
39. 49 pp. and appendix. Unpublished.

Rouse, W.R., and P. F. Mills. 1976. A classification of fire effects

on the microclimate of forest and tundra ecosystems. Final report.
Dept. Indian Affairs and N. Develop., North of 60, Environ. Studies
No. 2. 21 pp.

Rowe, J. s., J. L. Bergsteinsson, G. A. Padbury, and R. Hennesh. 1974.

Fire studies in the Mackenzie Valley. Arctic Land Use Res. Program,
Dept. Indian Affairs and N. Develop., Ottawa. ALUR Rept. 73-74-61.
123 pp.

Tiedemann, A. R., c. E. Conrad, J. H. Dieterich, J. w. Hornbeck, W. F.

Megahan, L.A. Viereck, and D. D. Wade. 1979. Effects of fire on
water. A state-of-knowledge review. National Fire Effects Workshop.
Denver, Colorado. April 1978. USDA For. Serv., Gen. Tech.
Rept. W0-10. 28 pp.

Tiedemann, A. R., J. D. Helvey, and T. D. Anderson. 1978. Stream chem-

istry and watershed nutrient economy following wildfire and fertiliza-
tion in eastern Washington. J. Environ. Qual. 7:580-588.

Viereck, L.A. 1973b. Wildfire in the taiga of Alaska. Quat. Res.

3(3) :465-495.

Viereck, L.A., and C. T. Dyrness~ eds. 1979. Ecological effects of the

Wickersham Dome fire near Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Pacific
N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon. Gen. Tech. Rept.,
PNW-90. 71 pp.

* * *

37
 EFFECTS of FIRE on VEGETATION

The Taiga
The extension of the boreal forest zone into Canada and Alaska is
often referred to by the Russian word "taiga" to differentiate it from
the closed, fast-growing forests of the more southerly region of the
zone. In Alaska the taiga extends from the south slope of the Brooks
Range, southward to its border with the coastal forests, eastward ·into
Canada, and westward to a maritime treeline at the Bering and Chukchi
Seas (Fig. 3). Approximately 32 percent of the Alaska taiga is forested,
but only about 7 percent is classified as commercial forest. The
unforested land consists of extensive bogs, brush thickets, grasslands,
sedge meadows, and some alpine tundra.

In adjacent Canada the taiga extends from 69°N at the Mackenzie

River Delta southward through Yukon Territory into northern British
Columbia.

Taig~ vegetation patterns consist of a mosaic of frequently

occurring vegetation types, with a small number of individual species.
The vegetation mosaic is the result of topography, climate, river meand-
ering and flooding, parent material, presence or absence of permafrost,
fire frequency and intensity, reproductive biology and autecology of
individual species, and combinations of these factors.

In the uplands and on older river terraces, the dominant vegetation

on most sites is stands of open and closed black spruce, especially the
Picea mariana/feathermoss and Picea mariana/Sphagnum types. These open
and closed black spruce types are especially widespread on poorly drained
sites, including those underlain by permafrost, and on north-facing
slopes. On the wettest sites, tamarack (Larix laricina) is associated
with the black spruce. Toward the most northern areas and near altitu-
dinal treeline, open stands of mixed black and white spruce occur,
primarily as woodlands with an understory rich in lichen species
(Viereck 1979). On many of these cold sites, black spruce stands are
replaced directly by other black spruce after fire, but occasionally
birch and rarely aspen intervene before the mature black spruce stands
are reestablished.

On the warmer, well-drained sites, the mature forests consist of

tall, fast-growing, closed or open white spruce stands, primarily the
Picea glauca/feathermoss community type. Successional to the spruce on
these sites are open and closed deciduous stands of birch, aspen, or
birch and aspen mixed.

Bottornland spruce and balsam poplar forests are common along all of
the major taiga rivers in Alaska and adjacent Canada. These and the

38
<b.
\b D Interior Forests
or Taiga

~ Tundra or Treeless

- Coastal Forests

Fig. 3. Boundaries of the taiga, tundra, and coastal forests in Alaska.

successional stands of shrubs and balsam poplar that lead to them are
some of the most productive in the taiga.

Although lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) does not occur in Alaska,

it is prevalent on dry sandy soils in the southern portion of the Yukon
Territory and diminishes in importance to the west and north. In many
areas lodgepole pine forms dense stands following fire.

Shrublands are common along most small watercourses and frequently.

form broad bands near treeline. These shrublands are composed primarily
of alder (Alnus crispa and A. tenuifolia), willows (Salix spp.), and
resin birch (Betula glandulosa).

Other treeless types occurring commonly in the taiga are grasslands

on south-facing bluffs, and bogs, marshes, and aquatic types in low-
lying wet areas. Alpine tundra occurs on the hills and mountains. (See
section on tundra vegetation types, page 61.)

AUTECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS in the TAIGA

The revegetation sequence following fire in the taiga can be
understood by examining common species in the forests and their adapta-
tions to frequent fires. Zasada (1971) and Zasada et al. (1979) in
Alaska, Uggla (1958) in Scandinavia, and others have studied the aut-
ecology of a number of species after fire.

Black Spruce
Black spruce is not fire resistant and is usually killed by fire.
It is adapted to fire, however, primarily through its semiserotinous
cones. Cone and seed production in black spruce has been studied in the
southern parts of the boreal forest and in northern areas of Canada
(Black and Bliss 1978, Wein 1975b) and Alaska (Zasada 1971). These
investigations indicate that black spruce may begin to produce cones as
early as 10 to 15 years following fire, ~ut usually does not attain
optimum seed production until after 50 to 150 years. Seed matures in
late swnrner, and some seed is dispersed throughout the year. Fifty
percent or more of the viable seed remains in the cones 1 year after
ripening, and about 15 percent remains after 5 years (Wilton 1963).

Wein found that after fire in northern Canada, the black spruce
seed germination varied from Oto 19 percent 6 years after a fire and
from only Oto 1 percent 20 years after a fire.

Seed dispersal patterns following fire in black spruce are not well
known. Seedfall continued for at least 2 and 3/4 years following a
fire in a 70-year-old black spruce stand in Alaska, but the quantity of
seed was not significantly different from that which had fallen in

40
unburned stands for the same period (Zasada et al. 1979). In
Newfoundland after a relatively hot fire, about half the black spruce
seed fell during the first 60 days (Wilton 1963). Seed viability also
dropped quickly, from about 60 percent immediately following the fire
to about 20 percent in the spring of the following year. In Alaska
zasada et al. (1979) measured a real germination of 90 percent for an
unburned black spruce stand, 65 percent for the year following a fire,
and 32 percent for second-year seeds.
Establishment of seedlings usually occurs the first year aft~r fire
and continues for several years. In Canada, Wein (1978) found that 6
years after the Inuvik fire 22 percent of the established black spruce
seedlings were 4 years of age, and 35 percent were 5 years of age. This
indicates that the second and third swmners following the fire were the
greatest for.seedling establishment.

In Alaska we found a general increase in seedling number through

the first three smmners following the 1971 Wickersham Dome fire (Viereck
and Dyrness 1979). But during the first 3 years of seedling establish-
ment where the fire had burned about one-third of the organic layer but
did not expose mineral soil, only 0.2 to 1.8 percent of the seeds had
produced seedlings (Zasada et al. 1979). The study illu-
strates the importance of a suitable seedbed for gennination, in addition
to an adequate seed source.

Black spruce also reproduces abundantly by layering of the lower

branches. This adaptation may be important for persistence of clones of
black spruce north of the present treeline and in increasing the density
of spruce stands following fire. It does not seem to be important,
however, as an adaptation to recovery following fire. The layered
branches are usually buried in moss and are easily destroyed by fires.
The layering habit may be important in the susceptibility of black
spruce stands to crown fires, since layered branches form a continuous
fuel source from the ground to the crowns of the trees, especially in
more open stands. The layering habit, shallow roots, thin bark, and
abundant lichens on the lower branches make the black spruce particu-
larly susceptible to death from fire. Usually, only at the very edges
of fires or where fires crept slowly through the moss mat have black
spruce survived to leave a fire scar record. The persistence and
abundance of black spruce in areas of high fire frequency are due·
primarily to its early production of abundant seed in semiserotinous
cones.

White Spruce
Unlike black spruce, white spruce seems to have little adaptation
to frequent fires. White spruce grows where fire frequencies may be
lower, however. In flood plains, white spruce is usually found on
islands or terraces close to the river where chance of burning is

41
slight, although some flood-plain white spruce stands have burned in
Alaska.

In the uplands, white spruce tend to be in isolated clumps

surrounded by hardwoods, which are also less subject to fire than are
the more continuous stands of black spruce. Quirk and Sykes (1971)
observed that in uplands white spruce stringers remained unburned while
adjacent black spruce stands burned several times. -. They, concluded that
organic layer moisture was higher in the white spruce stands, making
them less susceptible to fire.

Because white spruce seed matures and falls in one year, no old
seed reserve is left in the trees, as it is in black spruce. In addi-
tion, the interval between good white spruce seed crops may be 10 to 12
years. Areas burned during a period of low seed production, therefore,
would have difficulty regenerating to white spruce. In the taiga, most
fire$ occur in June, before the white spruce seed is ripe. Even in good
seed years, the main seed source would have to be outside the burned-
area or from surviving trees within the burned area. Seed dispersal
distance for white spruce is about 2 tree heights at 45 to 60 m, so
dispersal within a burn is limited.

Another autecological factor to be considered is that there may be

a correlation between heavy fire years and increased white spruce seed
crop the following year. The initiation of flower buds in white spruce
can be correlated with a wann dry period in June and the first half of
July (Zasada and Gregory 1969). These same conditions create high fire
potential. Since 1957 in interior Alaska, 1958 and 1970 were the best
seed years, whereas 1957 and 1969 were years of extensive fires which
burned large areas.

Deciduous Trees
Birch and aspen are well adapted to fire and come back quickly
after fire from vegetative reproduction and seed germination. Birch is
a prolific seed producer and produces regularly as many as 728 million
seeds per hectare (Zasada and Gregory 1972). The seeds are winged and
can travel moderate distances in windy weather.

Aspen is well adapted to invade burns by seed, because it produces

large quantities of light, tufted seed, which the wind can transport
long distances. Because the seed is viable for only a short time,
however, both seedbed and weather conditions must be ideal for stands to
establish from seed following fire. Aspen stands reproduce mostly by
vegetative means (Gregory and Haack 1965) and individual clumps of aspen
tend to extend after fire. Following the Wickersham Dome fire, aspen
produced nearly 200,000 root suckers per hectare.

Although birch reproduces by stump sprouts, and stands with several

42
stems originating from old stumps are common, many birch stands appear
to be of seed origin.
Balsam poplar reproduces prolifically by root and branch suckers
and stump shoots following logging (Zasada et al., in preparation).
The effect of fire on balsam poplar is not described in the literature,
however, even though balsam poplar is an occasional species in the
uplands in the Alaskan taiga.

Shrubs
We have combined shrub species into general categories based on
their fire-adaptive characteristics. All of the common shrubs in the
black spruce type are capable of vegetative reproduction by underground
rhizomes, stems, or roots. They can also reproduce from stump sprouts
unless the organic layer has been destroyed. Since some of the under-
ground parts remain after fire, revegetation can occur from these.

Available information on the relative depth of these underground

parts indicates that some shrubs survive fires of different intensities
better than others. Calmes and Zasada (1979) found that Ledum groen-
landicum underground stems were at depths of 15 to 30 cm and that Rosa
acicularis rhizomes were deeper, 20 to 30 cm. Flinn and Wein (1977)
found that Ledum groenlandicum stems were 40 to 50 cm deep in the bogs
of New Brunswick. Vaccinium vitis-idaea has abundant branched under-
ground stems embedded at about 2 to 3 cm in the humus. Thus, they are able
to survive light fires but are usually killed by moderate to heavy fires
(Uggla 1958). In vaccinium uliginosum, v. vitis-idaea, and Ledum
groenlandicum, initial sprouting following fire may be from the fire-
pruned aerial stems. Sprouts from burned stems and rhizomes become
evident later, usually the year following the fire.

The ability of different species to form sprouts from stumps after

fire is varied. Tree birch seems to lose some of its sprouting ability
with age, but old decadent willows produce sprouts prolifically immedi-
ately after fire. Alder is more susceptible to complete killing by fire
than is willow, and its resprouting is less vigorous and prolific. No
information is available on the stump sprouting ability of the shrub
birch, Betula glandulosa.

When most of the organic material of the forest floor is destroyed

by fire, shrubs must regenerate by seed. Shrubs may be divided into
three groups according to the types of seed they produce. The small,
extremely light-seeded species capable of reseeding over long distances
are primarily Salix. Their seeds are usually viable only for short
periods of time. Dispersal time varies with species, although generally
there are spring- and fall-seeding willows (Zasada and Viereck 1975,
zasada and Densmore 1977). The degree to which these species invade
after a fire depends on the time of year of the fire, weather, and

43
presence of a mineral seedbed. A wet period after seed dispersal allows
for germination, but a dry period can cause enough seed viability loss
to prevent germination. The chance of light-seeded species establishing
years after fire lessens as the available mineral soil seedbed sites are
occupied by the faster growing herbaceous species or mosses.

The second category of shrubs has thin-walled light seeds that are
not.well adapted for long-distance dispersal or resistance to heat and
that do not maintain viability long. This group of seeds usually shows
a nondeep or conditional dormancy, meaning the seeds germinate better
following cold stratification (Calmes and Zasada 1979, Densmore and
zasada 1977). This mechanism insures the seed will not germinate during
the fall.

Shrubs in this group include Alnus spp., Vaccinium uliginosum, and

v. vitis-idaea. Their seeds are usually destroyed by fire and must be
transported into the burned area. The most connnon sequence is for these
species to reproduce by vegetative means in lightly burned areas and to
produce large numbers of flowers and seeds later.

The third category of shrub species is those with thick-coated hard

seeds that not only are fire resistant but may be stimulated by fire
(Cushwa et al. 1968). Some of the shrub species in this category are
Viburnum edule, Rosa acicularis, and Rubus idaeus. Their seeds usually
show a dormancy pattern that requires a warm period followed by a cold
period before germination takes place (Densmore and Zasada 1977,
Densmore 1979).

Herbs
Herb species have many of the same fire-adaptive reproduction
mechanisms a~ shrubs. In the black spruce type in northern areas, the
two most common herb species following fire are fireweed {Epilobium
angustifolium) and bluejoint {Calamagrostis canadensis).

Fireweed has light seeds and can easily invade heavily burned
areas. It may persist into later stages of succession and revegetate
lightly burned areas through the spread of rhizomes. Moss (1936)
studied the vegetative reproduction of the species and thought that
rhizomes are usually only 2 to 4 cm deep in the soil (Uggla 1958).
Therefore, they are destroyed by fires of moderate to heavy intensity.
Observations in Alaska indicate that fireweed seedling invasion of
burned areas is far more important than vegetative reproduction by
rhizomes. Foote (1976) has shown that fireweed usually does not persist
into the mature black spruce stands. This also accounts for the lack of
vegetative reproduction following fire. Fireweed spreads rapidly,
however, through the growth of underground rhizomes from mineral soil
into areas where the organic layer prohibits seedling establishment.

44
 Bluejoint, on the other hand, usually occurs in mature black spruce
stages and produces many rhizomes after light to moderate burning. It
is also a prolific seed producer, although the spread by rhizomes appears
most important except in areas burned to mineral soil.

Horsetails (Equisetwn sylvaticum and E. arvense) are widespread

herb species in the black spruce type. Their underground rhizomes are
deep, usually in mineral soil, allowing them to reinvade burned areas.
They may become the most abundant herbaceous species after fire.-
Because horsetail is found throughout the successional sequence.to
mature black spruce stands, it is available for revegetation following
fire in any stage of succession (Foote 1976).

Only two herbaceous species seem to have long-lived seeds that are
stimulated to germinate by fire: Geranium bicknellii and Corydalis
sempivirens. Corydalis has been observed as an early invader of burned
areas throughout much of the boreal forest (Rowe and Scotter 1973,
Heinselman 1973, Ahl_gren 1966a, Scatter 1964, Viereck and Dyrness 1979) ,
but germination characteristics and requirements of its seed have not
been tested.

Mosses and Lichens

Mosses and lichens are important in the successional sequences
following fire in the taiga. several studies (Scotter 1964P Black and
Bliss 1978, Maikawa and Kershaw 1976) show that crypto-gams follow a
more typical succession pattern than do vascular plants. They seem to
have an orderly sequence of species after fire.

_ The pioneer mosses and liverworts may be divided into two types;
those that persist through the fire and those that reinvade by spores.
Species of Polytrichum have deep rhizoids that are usually in mineral
soil. They, like Equisetum, are able to survive all but the most severe
fires and are able to come back by vegetative means after fire. The
other group of species, primarily Marchantia polymorpha, Ceratodon
purpureus, and Pohlia nutans, reinvade mineral soil surfaces from spores.

The feathermosses, primarily Hylocomiwn splendens and Pleurozium

schreberi, are extremely important in the black spruce succession follow-
ing fire. Although small patches may survive fire, it is not until a
spruce canopy is established that the feathermosses spread and become
the dominant mosses. Tanun (1964) has shown the importance of shade and
tree canopy for the development of Hylocomium in the Swedish forest.
Black spruce also seems to need shade for its revegetation sequence. On
mesic sites, these two feathermoss species may make up as much as 75 to
80 percent of the forest floor cover in mature black spruce stands. In
dryer and more open sites, moss cover is less and lichen cover greater.

45
 The mats and clumps of sphagnum mosses within the black spruce
stands usually do not completely burn, even under extremely dry condi-
tions because of the mosses' high moisture content. Although sphagnum
is usually killed by fire, moist clumps of dead moss remain for several
years and are good sites for shrub establishment.

The invasion and succession of lichens in the dry open lichen

woodlands in central and northern Canada is well documented (Kershaw et
al. 1975, Maikawa and Kershaw 1976, Scotter 1964). Much less is known·
of the ecology of the lichen species invading burned areas on mesic·
black spruce sites.

The first lichen to become established may be the short-lived

Icmadophila ericetorwn 1 , which grows on dead sphagnum clumps. Foliose
lichens in the genus Peltigera often become established on the moss mat
within 5 years. As early as 10 to 15 years after fire, the cup lichens
or horn lichens and Cetraria spp. and Cladonia spp. may invade (Black
and Bliss 1978, Scotter 1964, Ahti 1959). As conditions in the stand
change with canopy establishment and closure and the development of a
moss mat, the lichen species change.· Mature stands become dominated by
the reindeer lichens, Cladina alpestris, c. rangiferina, and C. arbuscula.

The autecology of individual lichen species and the actual mechan-

isms of establishment and growth have not been adequately studied. It
is assumed that the lichens reinvade by fragments that are blown into
the burned areas, but this has not been documented.

EFFECTS of SEVERITY of FIRE

on TAIGA VEGETATION
In Alaska one important factor that may determine successional
sequence after fire is the amount of organic material in the forest
floor removed by fire. In order to quantify this effect, we have used
five forest floor fire severity classes (Viereck et al. 1979).

Severity of a wildfire is difficult to determine after a few years.

Consequently, severity isn't taken into account when revegetation
sequence after fire is discussed. Depth of burn obviously is important,
especially in an ecosystem where much revegetation is from buried plant
parts. A heavy burn that removes most of the organic layer usually

Lichen names in this report follow Hale and Culberson (1970), A Fourth
Checklist of the Lichens of the Continental United States and Canada.
These authors separate the commonly called "reindeer lichens" into the
genus Cladina. They also use Cladina arbuscula for the formerly named
Cladonia sylvatica.

46
 kills the underground parts of most if not all of the shrubs. Because
Equisetum rhizomes and Polgtrichum rhizoids go into the mineral soil,
they may be the only species to survive on these sites. The mineral
soil is an ideal seedbed, however, for most species that come into the
burn by seed. Mineral soil areas may become quickly covered with
Marchantia, Ceratodon, and Epilobium. Mineral soil sites also are
best for black spruce seed germination.
On the other hand, a light burn that kills only the aboveground
plant parts and chars and kills the moss layer leaves the underground
plant parts of the shrubs and many herbs intact. Revegetation is rapid
from rhizomes and root and stump sprouts. This type of burn encourages
the proliferation of shrubs that reproduce from underground rhizomes,
such as the Vaccinium and Ledum species.

Buried seeds that persist in the organic layers or mineral soil of

unburned stands are regeneration sources. Amounts of seed vary consid-
erably among vegetation types (Moore and Wein 1977) and locations.
Although E. A. Johnson (1975) found no viable seeds in mature black spruce
sites at Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, near the northern
treeline, Moore and Wein (1977) reported 370 seeds per m2 in black
spruce stands in New Brunswick and Archibold (1979) reported 426 seed-
lings per m2 in a white spruce-birch-aspen stand in northern Saskatchewan.
Johnson (1975) showed that buried seed populations generally decrease in
a northward direction under unburned forests.

Depth of burn is important in determining the numbers of seeds that

may germinate. Moore and Wein (1977) found that 81 percent of the
viable seeds in the spruce type were in the upper cm of the organic
layer and 95 percent were found in the upper 4 cm of the organic layer.
Thus, although a severe burn on the forest floor may produce a good
seedbed, it also may destroy some or all of the seed stored in the
forest floor.

The longevity of buried hard-coated seeds is not known, but many

seem to persist in the soil and organic layers for decades. As mentioned
previously, many of these seeds also are known to be fire resistant and
the seed of some species is stimulated by fire.

The importance of buried seeds to revegetation following fire in

Alaska vegetation types has not been investigated.

REVEGETATION after FIRE

In the TAIGA
The successional sequence after fire in the taiga is complex. (See
Fig. 4.) It is related to a number of variables, which include the

47
 DRY - WARM WET - COLD

Fig. 4. Patterns of forest succession following fire in Alaska.

preburn vegetation type and age, climate, fire severity, time of burn,
parent material, presence and absence of permafrost, and the weather.
No single general sequence of vegetation follows fire in the spruce type
throughout Canada and Alaska. Large differences occur among revegeta-
tion sequences in revegetation rates and the species involved.·

Figure 4 shows some of the many paths of revegetation that have

been observed following fire in interior Alaska. The original preburn
forest type is shown on the bottom row of boxes. The thickness of the
line is related to how conunonly each of the revegetation sequences
occurs. Thus, black spruce is usually replaced directly by other stands
of black spruce but occasionally is replaced by aspen or birch. Aspen
stands, usually on wann dry sites, are most often replaced by other
aspen stands but occasionally are revegetated by birch or a grass meadow
after fire. Eventually, with a long period without fire, the aspen
stands are invaded by white spruce or occasionally black spruce. The
climax vegetation on well-drained sites is white spruce and on cold wet
sites black spruce, often with an alternating bog cycle.

In spite of this variability, three patterns of succession following

fire have been described from Alaska and northern Canada. The first

48
occurs-on the productive, mesic sites, dominated by mature white spruce
stands. The second successional sequence occurs on wet, poorly drained,
permafrost sites, dominated by black spruce. The third successional
sequence, on open lichen woodlands, has been described extensively from
areas in Canada but not from Alaska, even though the mature vegetation
type occurs in Alaska. This type is found on some peatlands, but is most
common on well-drained glacial deposits and near treeline in northern
Canada. It is usually dominated by black spruce,_but also occasionally
by white spruce.

White Spruce/Feathermoss Type

On dry upland sites, primarily south-facing slopes, the mature
forest vegetation is white spruce, paper birch, aspen, or some combi-
nation of these species. The deciduous tree species represent succes-
sional stages of revegetation developing after fire (Fig. 5).
Occasionally, if a seed source is available and seedbed conditions are
ideal, white spruce invades within a year or two after the fire, and
even-aged stands develop without the intervening hardwoods.
Foote (1979) recognized these seven distinct stages in revegetation
after fire:

1• Newly burned
This stage lasts.a few weeks to a year.

2. Herb-tree seedling stage

One to 5 years after the fire, fast-growing mosses and
herbs and tree seedlings are established.

3. Shrub (willow) and tree sapling stage

In this stage, 6 to 25 years after fire, the willow shrubs
and tree saplings dominate the stands and fonn a nearly
continuous canopy, which begins to shade out the herbaceous
and moss layer.

4• Dense hardwood stage

Birch and aspen form a dense canopy that tends to shade out
much of the understory that has developed since the fire.

5. Mature hardwood stage

Aspen stands mature at about 80 years. Birch stands then
gradually open through natural thinning.

6. Mature birch and white spruce

At 100 years and more, the successional sequence reaches
a stage in which mature white spruce stands, often with a
component of old birch trees, are dominant.

49
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I
Cl) Cl)
c,, (.) Cl)

Q)
c,, -
C
Cl)
...
:,
a.
Cl)
0

-
C
en
Cl)
c,,
.E
rn
C
Cl)
"0
0
0 -Cl)
"0

- a. 0
0 "0 Cl)
3 .c::. 0
Cl)
c,, rn
0
0 C ...
"C 3 3

- 0 "C
0 c,, 3 "0 ..c
Cl) C ...
"0
0
C
0 ...
Cl)
c,, ..c :::,
Q) 0. ..c
c,, C 0
...
0

-
Cl)
0 rn Cl)
"O Q) C .c
(/) Cl)

-
Q) G)

"O
Cl)
Cl)
.... 0
Cl) I
Q)
.c
w
a::
...
C
:,
...
Cl)
...
:::,

.0' ..c
I Cl)
1.1...
>. ...
.c
Cl)
3 I
Q)

0-1 2-5 6-25 26- 50 51-100 100-200 200-250+

Age (years)

Fig. 5. Stages in succession following fire on upland white spruce

s1~es in interior Alaska.

7. White spruce/moss
The mature stands are composed of white spruce with thick
moss mats on the forest floor.

Lutz (1955) and Foote (1976) consider the white spruce stands to be
the climax vegetation of these sites, the end point in.the succession
following fire on well-drained upland sites. It has been suggested,
however, that some old upland white spruce stands may be replaced by
black spruce and bog or a treeless moss/lichen association (Wilde and
Krause 1960, Strang 1973b).

On the flood plains of Alaska, evidence is substantial that older

white spruce stands are replaced by black spruce as permafrost develops
under the accumulating moss and organic layers (Drury 1956, Viereck
1970).

50
 Q)
c,t

-,,,
Cl)
c:,, 0

-C
U')

,:,
Q)
c:,,

-
C
en
en
,n
0
Q) E
w ...
C:
:, 'u
Q)
a: .c
LL ;;,,,- ...
:,
Q.
en
~
(.)
C
.c

-0
:E

Permafrost

--}(--,,,,-

0-1 2-5 6-25 26-50 51-100 100-200

Age (years)

Fig. 6. Stqges in succession following fire on permafrost black spruce

sites in interior Alaska.

Black Spruce/Feathermoss Type

In Alaska and adjacent Canada, black sp~ce stands are widespread
on wet, poorly drained sites and in uplands and lowlands underlain by
permafrost. The black spruce type is widespread over most of the area.
It is also the type with the highest fire frequency. Therefore, it has
received the most attention in fire effects and revegetation studies.

In Alaska we followed revegetation after the 1971 Wickersham Dome

fire (Viereck and Dyrness 1979). We compared revegetation on a number
of known-age burns in interior Alaska (Foote 1976) and on some permanent
vegetation plots established after the 1950 Porcupine River fire (Foote
1974). A series of experimental, controlled fires, where prefire

51
vegetation was recorded and fire intensity was monitored during the
burning, has also been utilized to determine revegetation sequences
(Viereck et al. 1979).

Foote (1979) has described,.as follows, six stages in the revege-

tation sequence for black spruce in interior Alaska on mesic sites that
support mature closed to open black spruce/feathermoss communities.
The stages are illustrated in Fig. 6.
1. Newly burned
Lasts from a few weeks to a year. At this stage the forest
floor is dominated by charred mosses and mineral ash. If
the burn is light to moderate, sucker shoots of shrubs,
Calamagrostis, and Polytrichum may appear.

2. Herbaceous-young shrub stage

Lasts from 1 to 4 years and is the time of species establish-
ment. Bare mineral soil areas are covered with Marchantia,
Ceratodon purpureus, Polytrichum commune, Epilobium angusti-
folium, tree seedlings, etc. Sprouting species, primarily
Calarnagrostis canadensis, Rubus chamaemorus, and Equisetum
silvaticum, become abundant.

3• Shrub stage
The shrubs dominate the vegetation. Toward the end of this
stage, the shrub canopy closes, leaf litter becomes abundant,
herb and moss cove~ increases, and the first lichens, usually
the foliose lichens Peltigera canina and P. aphthosa, become
established. This stage usually occurs from 6 to 25 years
after fire.

4. Young black spruce

This stage occurs 26 to SO years after fire. Stands are
usually dense. Toward the end of this stage, the spruce
canopy becomes closed and the shrubs reduced in cover.

5. Dense black spruce - Pleurozium stage

The stage occurs 51 to 100 years after the fire. Black spruce,
low shrubs, and Pleurozium schreberi dominate.

6. Mature black spruce/feathermoss stage

This is the final stage in the sequence of postfire succession.
Black spruce trees, saplings, and seedlings dominate the stand.

The last three stages are dominated by trees. The tall shrub layer
of willows and alders begins to thin out, but the low shrub layer
continues to expand and increase in cover. The invasion and rapid
development of feathermosses occurs, and a thick organic layer develops.
This layer ties up the available nutrients, creates colder soil tempera-
tures, and results in the return of a shallow active layer on many

52
sites. Another significant invasion is that of the fruticose lichens,
the Cladonia and Cladina species, and additional foliose lichens such as
Nephroma acticum, which together may make up at least 20 percent cover.

Once the tree canopy is well established, the changes in the

vegetation sequence are slower and more subtle. During the older
stages, the tree canopy is mostly closed, although the stem density is
smaller, averaging 2,200 stems per hectare. The moss layer remains
about the same as in the younger tree stage, except that Hylocomium
splendens increases and both fruticose and foliose lichen decline ·in
cover. Because of the high fire frequency in interior Alaska and the
well-developed fuels in these black spruce stands, a fire is most likely
to occur·during this stage of vegetation sequence.

If fire does not occur, the development of the black spruce type
into a mature stand follows without any major changes. Tree densities
stay about the same, 1,700/hectare for black spruce. A few paper
birch may persist into the mature stage. The spruce tend to grow in
clwnps produced by layered branches, and there are more openings in the
canopy than in earlier stages. Because of this, the shrub layers,
especially the low shrub layer, are better developed than they are
during the 60- to 90-year period when the canopy is more closed. The
moss cover in the mature stands is dense and covers nearly 75 percent of
the forest floor, but the lichen cover continues to decline on these
mesic sites so that total lichen cover of both foliose and fruticose
lichens averages only 2 percent.

It is difficult to speculate on what would happen in this sequence

if fire did not occur for 200 years or more. Drury (1956) and Viereck
(1970) have described a situation in wet lowland sites where the black
spruce are replaced by bog and a cycle of bog and forest. In the mesic
upland sites, there seems to be only a minor thinning of spruce with
age and ample layerings are ready to replace dying trees. In the
sequence described by Foote (1·976), sphagnum mosses do not show a
definite trend, although they increase from 2 percent cover in the
69- to 90-year stage to 5 percent cover in the mature stands.

Paludification, the creation of wet boggy conditions through the

development and spread of sphagnum mosses, could result in more open
stands and bogs on the colder and wetter sites. Foote's work gives no
evidence that white spruce will replace black spruce, even on mesic
upland sites, as suggested by Lutz (1955) who states, "In these situa-
tions [well-drained uplands] it [black spruce] must be regarded as a
temporary fire type which will, in the course of time, give way to
white spruce." Lutz felt that on wet sites, black spruce represents
a physiographic climax," •.• an essentially stable, self-perpetuating
community, reproducing itself by both seedling growth and layering."
(Lutz 1955).

53
 Black and Bliss (1978) describe a similar sequence for black spruce
near treeline in the uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie River in North-
west Territories. Although most of the species involved are similar to
those found in Alaska, there are some conspicuous differences related to
the more northern latitude and the adjacent tundra. The somewhat longer
fire rotation allowed these auth~rs to report on stands 300 years old.
They described four stages in the revegetation sequence:

Stage l, which occurs from 1 to 20 years following the fire, is

similar to Stages 1 to 3 of Foote (1979) for Alaska. The second stage
is similar to the last three stages described from Alaska. The oldest
stage in the succession contains stands that were 200 to 300 years old.
These were found only in isolated pockets that escaped fire. The
general increase in lichens with age continues, with Cladina species
still dominant. The density of black spruce increases in these older
stands, due to reproduction by layering. Density reaches as much as
8,000 stems per hectare in 275-year-old stands. There is no evidence
that the sequence would eventually change into more open or treeless
stands.

In contrast, Strang (1973b) found lower tree densities in the older

stands, with many dead and dying trees and little reproduction.
Strang's sites were in the same general areas as those of Black and
Bliss but in all of the stands he studied, Picea glauca either was an
important component or was the only tree species in the stand. It is
possible that Strang was observing a successional sequence similar to
those Drury (1956) described for the Kuskokwim River in Alaska, where
spruce stands became more open with time.

A number of other studies have been made of the open black spruce
stands in the vicinity of the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Terri-
tories. The 1968 Inuvik fire and adjacent burned and unburned stands
have received considerable attention, especially by Wein. Wein (1975b)
followed revegetation of the Inuvik fire in some detail. for the first 6
years after the fire. He compared it with an adjacent shrub-dominated
20-year-old fire site. Although he reported only generally on revege-
tation, he noted that in the early years after the fire, the black
spruce stands seem to follow the general pattern described by Black and
Bliss (1978) ..

Black Spruce/Lichen Woodland

The open black spruce lichen type has been studied throughout the
northern areas of Canada, where it is widespread. Little attention has
been given to it in Alaska, however, where it is less widely distributed.
This type is important as winter range for caribou. Thus, several of
the succession studies in the black spruce-lichen woodland were part of
larger studies of caribou range and populations (Scatter 1964; Bergerud
1971, 1974; Hustich 1951; Ahti and Hepburn 1967). Johnson and Rowe

54
(1975) and Maikawa and Kershaw (1976) have studied this type in the
central part of the Canadian Shield, in the region southeast of Great
Slave Lake, and in the Caribou Hills in central Northwest Territories.

The first stage of revegetation, which lasts from 1 to 20 years is

dominated by the pioneer mosses, such as Ceratodon purpureus, Polytrichum
juniperinum Hedw., P. piliferum Hedw., and Marchantia polymorpha. Crus-
tose lichens, primarily Lecidea spp., may cover as much as 20 percent
of the ground in this stage. In some areas a number of vascular plants,
especially Epilobium angustifolium, Calamagrostis canadensis, and sev-.
eral other grasses and sedges, also are important.

The second stage, which occurs commonly from 10 to 60 years

following a fire, is characterized by the invasion and dominance of
fruticose lichens. Of these,several Cladonia species are the most
prominant. Ahti (1959) and Bergerud (1971) both describe this stage as
the "horn lichen stage" because of the dominance of Cladonia crispata
(Ach.) Flat and other closely related species. On some sites, feather-
mosses may become established and spread during this period. There is
also a development of low ericaceous shrubs, especially Vaccinium vitis-
idaea and Ledum groenlandicum. An open tree canopy is established
during this stage.

Older lichen stands, ranging around 100 years of age, generally

shift to species that are dominated by Cladina alpestris (L.) Hann.
and C. rangiferina (L.) Harm • .In the Drumlin area of the Northwest
Territories, Maikawa and Kershaw (1976) report an exception to this
pattern, in which stands 60 to 130 years of age are dominated by
Stereocaulon paschale (L.) Hoffm. In some sites during this stage, tree
cover density increases,,resulting also in an increase in the cover of
the feathennosses Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi. On
other sites the lichen mat persists under an open spruce canopy.

Relationship of Black Spruce

and other Vegetation Types
We have discussed the most connnon situation--the direct replacement
of a black spruce stand by another stand with similar species. There
are many examples, however, where other tree species are involved in the
black spruce succession. Viereck (1973b) diagrammed these relationships
for Alaska and Canada. {See Fig. 4, page 48.)

The invasion of black spruce burns by birch and aspen is more

connnon in the southern parts of the boreal forest than it is in the
northern. This is due primarily to the decrease in abundance of birch
and aspen ih the more northern areas. From northern Saskatchewan,
Scotter (1964) reported that dense stands of Betula papyrifera may come

55
in after fires in the black spruce type but eventually are replaced by
black spruce. Reports from farther north in the Mackenzie area, Black
and Bliss (1978) for example, mention Betula papyrifera only as an occa-
sional component of the black spruce types.

Little is known about the conditions required for the conversion of

forest type from black spruce to hardwood after fire. Lutz (1955) and
Viereck (1973b) suggest that such a conversion may result from either
intense fires, which destroy the black spruce cones in the treetops and
at the same time provide a good mineral soil surface for germination of
the hardwood species, or it may result because fire in the black spruce
type reoccurs before the spruce has been able to produce a cone crop.

Of special interest in Alaska are stands of aspen with understories

of black spruce. Aspen usually occurs on dry warm slopes in interior
Alaska and is replaced in time with white spruce. On old river ter-
races, usually underlain by coarse river alluvium, however, aspen stands
sometimes are found with understories of black spruce. We speculate
that in these cases, a severe fire removed the organic layer completely
and allowed aspen to seed in at the same time as the black spruce. The
coarse river alluvium and the lack of an organic layer provide a temp-
orary, wann, well-drained site for the aspen. Aspen, being relatively
short lived, is eventually replaced by the spruce and the associated
moss and organic layer, and the site reverts to a cold wet condition.

The relationship between Picea glauca and Picea mariana also is

interesting. Drury (1956) and Viereck (1970) have described a situation
in Alaska where alluvial white spruce stands are replaced by black
spruce on the older river terraces because of the formation and rise of
the permafrost table associated with the buildup of the insulating
organic layer. On the other hand, Lutz (1955) and Scatter (1964) have
suggested that on some mesic upland sites, white spruce should be con-
sidered the climax species that, without fire, would replace black
spruce. Viereck (1970) has suggested that_even in the upland sites, the
black spruce may replace white spruce on sites that are underlain by
permafrost. It is possible that on some sites, white spruce may replace
black spruce, while on wetter and colder sites, the opposite may occur.
The difficulty in resolving this uncertainty relates to the high fire
frequency in most northern areas and the scarcity of examples of the
later stages of succession.

EFFECTS of FIRE
On TAIGA ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS and PROCESSES
We need to think of fire as an ecosystem process rather than as an
effect on particular organisms or plant and animal communities. Wright
and Heinselman (1973) suggest that there are a number of general prin-

56
 ciples that relate to fire effects in the conifer ecosystems. Vitousek
and Reiners (1975) and Odum (1969) have discussed the changes in eco-
system components and processes that occur during succession.

Some scientists have attempted to look at ecosystem processes

relating to the black spruce ·ecosystem. The subject is discussed in the
studies of the 1968 Inuvik fire by Wein and others, the studies of the
1971 Wickersham Dome fire by scientists at the Institute of Northern
Forestry (Viereck and Dyrness 1979), the detailed studies of the lichen-
dominated ecosystem by Kershaw and Rouse (1976) and their colleagues
(Kershaw et al. 1975), and by Rencz and Auclair (1978) in eastern
Canada.

Figure 7 shows some hypothesized changes in five critical variables·

in a black spruce ecosystem following fire. This figure was developed
as part of a study of the black spruce ecosystem in Alaska (Zasada et
al. 1977). The five variables are as follows:

1. OVerstory/biomass and living forest floor.

2. Dead and decaying forest floor biomass.
3. Available nutrient pool of nitrogen and phosphorus.
4. Soil temperature.
5. Soil moisture.

Forest Floor

- Available Nutrients
c=:::J Total Nutrients
Net Primary Production Available Soil Nutrient
~ Vascular Plants (Overstory) ~ P~osphorus
-
CJ)

C
Q)
r-
llIIIIIIIIlJ Non-Vascular Plants N 1trogen

-
C
l .-
0
I
I
I
0. ~SS,-~-~ I
I
E
0
~
........ 0
u
- 0. ~ -- N

0
Q)
N
E
~ ------------==--
--------
~ ----_,_;:=-= D-
___ .... ---
- o·
I

Cf) 0 0

• • -
Q) Cf) Cf)
>
0
Q)
er:
- - - ~/./1 -
2 3 4
~
5
Time
Fig. 7. Hypothetical successional changes in a burned black spruce
stand being revegetated by more black spruce (from Zasada et al. 1977).

57
The time axis of Fig. 7 represents the stages of succession through the
mature black spruce/feathermoss forest to a more open black spruce/
sphagnum type, a span of about 300 years.

Just prior to a fire in the black spruce type, which would most
usually occur during the third or fourth stage shown in Fig. 7, the
overstory and forest floor biomasses are high, but the available nutri-
ent pool is relatively low because most of the available nutrients are_
tied up in the surface organic layers and overstory. Decomposition-is
slow--about 2 percent of the organic matter in the forest decays each
year (Van Cleve et al. 1979). Soil temperatures during the growing
season are_ low, about 3 to 6 De at 10 cm (Viereck and Dyrness 1979).
Permafrost is as close as 30 cm below the surface and the active layer
of annual thawing is entirely within the organic layer. ·Because of the
impervious permafrost, the continued slow melt of ice in the active
layer during the summer, and the high water-holding capacity of the
mosses and organic layer, the amount of moisture is high throughout the
summer at depths of 10 cm and deeper. In the organic layer, the amount
of moisture by weight remains well above 100 percent.

Following fire, all of these components are changed drastically.

The overstory biomass is greatly reduced by the fire, although standing
dead may persist for up to 60 years. The biggest effect is in the
forest floor, which is partially or completely removed by fire. Burning
of forest floor material immediately releases large quantities of
available nutrients (Grier 1975, Stark 1977). For example, the
quantities of available phosphorus are greatly increased. As much as 50
times the mass of phosphorus before the fire was available following an
experimental burn in a 70-year-old black spruce stand in Alaska (Viereck
et al. 1979}. Nitrogen, on the other hand, may be volatilized by fire,
and quantities of available nitrogen may be reduced from those before
the fire.

Soil temperatures become warmer and the permafrost layer recedes

after fire because of several factors. These include removal of the
overstory, change in albedo, thinning of the organic layer, and death of
the moss layer. Viereck and Oyrness (1979) showed that summer soil
temperatures were, in general, 5 to 6 De warmer in the soil at depths
of from 10 to 50 cm the summer following the 1971 Wickersham Dome fire
than they were in an unburned 70-year-old black spruce control plot.
Kershaw and Rouse (1976) have shown a similar increase in soil·tempera-
ture following fire in the black spruce/lichen woodland in central
Canada. They found that the increase in surface soil temperatures could
still be shown 25 'years following the fire.

One of the most significant changes brought about by the increase

in soil temperature after fire is a thickening of the active layer. The
depth of thaw may be two to three times greater following fire than it
was before the burn. Seven years following a fire in the black spruce
type in Alaska, the depth of thaw had increased from 40 cm in the

58
 unburned stand to 140 cm in the burned area (Viereck and Dyrness 1979).
Similar thaw has been shown for the Inuvik fire in Canada (Mackay 1977).
This increased thawing trend lasts for 10 to 15 years. It is followed
by a gradual return to the preburn depth after about 50 years, when the
insulating effect of the feathennoss mat has been completely reestab-
lished (Viereck 1973b).

For the first few years following fire, the nutrient turnover is
rapid and productivity is high. With more nutrients available, herbs
and shrubs grow rapidly (Ahlgren 1960, Stark and Steele 1977). The
pioneering bryophytes, especially Marchantia, and the herbs, Epilobium
angustifolium and Calamagrostis canadensis, take up the available
nutrients immediately following the fire and recycle them quickly
through their dead and decaying plant parts. Productivity is high
because of the warmer soil and the increased nutrients. These species,
which have high relative nutrient requirements and rapid growth rates,
have an advantage over other species in the early stages of succession
but compete less successfully in the nutrient-poor later successional
stages. Decomposition rates also are relatively high during this
period.

Few data are available to compare the productivity of burned and

unburned black spruce stands in Alaska and northern Canada. Wolff and
Zasada (1979) found that 3 to 7 years after a fire, the amount of willow
browse available to moose increased from 6.5 to 44.1 kg/ha, while in
adjacent unburned stands, the available browse was less than 10 kg/ha.
This study took into account only Salix spp. available to moose but gave
an indication of the increased productivity of the shrub layer following
fire.
Total biomass accumulations for the first 4 years following the
Wickersham Dome fire in Alaska were approximately 160 g/m 2 , giving an
average annual accumulation of 40 g/m 2 • Wein (1975b) showed biomass
accumulations 5 years following the Inuvik fire, of approximately
2
200 g/m , for an average annual accumulation of 40 g/m 2 • No comparable
figures are available for a mature black spruce ecosystem. But from
biomass measurements in a 130-year-old black spruce stand, the annual
foliage production has been estimated to be 24 g/m 2 , while the total
annual aboveground tree production was 168 g/m 2 and the productivity of
the moss layer in the same stand has been shown to be 125 g/m 2 or about
five times that of the tree foliage production (Van Cleve et al. 1979).
In young recently burned stands, most of the productivity is in the herb
and shrub species; in mature stands, most of the productivity is in the
tree and moss layers.
-·
As time passes following fire, the biomass and productivity of the
mosses and lichens increase faster than those of the vascular plants.
This is especially true once the feathermosses become widespread. As
mentioned above, on a unit area basis the productivity in the moss layer
may be nearly as great as that of the tree layer.

59
 Forest floor biomass increases greatly once the tree canopy is
established and the feathermosses are abundant. Equilibrium may be
reached between decomposition and accumulation in the forest floor in
some sites; but on most of the cooler, moister sites, the forest floor
continues to thicken and accwnulate material. The criterion for a
climax ecosystem--that net increment of biomass should equal zero--is
not attained (Vitousek and Reiners 1975). As the forest floor thickens,
it accmnulates nutrients that are no longer available in the ecosystem
n~trient pool. The mature black spruce ecosystem is considered to be a
nutrient-poor system that holds tightly to its nutrients. One indica-
tion of this is that black spruce may retain their needles for up to 25
years (Van Cleve et al. 1979).

In addition to acting as a nutrient sink, the thickening forest

floor acts as an increasingly efficient insulating layer. Soil temper-
atures become lower as the moss layer thickens and shade from the tree
and shrub canopy increases. Soil moisture also increases as the perma-
frost rises and the water-retaining organic layer develops. These
conditions all contribute to developing the typical less productive,
nutrient poor, black spruce ecosystem that has a thick organic layer
closely underlain by permafrost. At this point, or earlier in the
successional sequence, the forest usually burns, returning nutrients to
the available form and once again increasing the site productivity.
Thus, fire in this type of ecosystem returns the site to a more produc-
tive condition and partially subsitutes for the reduced decomposition
rate.
In long absence of fire, it is hypothesized (Fig. 7) that the
forest floor would continue to thicken, further tying up nutrients.
Moss and lichen productivity would continue to increase compared with
that of the tree overstory, and the overstory would become more open· and
less productive. Soil temperatures would continue to decrease and soil
moisture increase, creating conditions that encourage the development of
the sphagnum mosses over the feathermosses. This condition could
eventually result in paludification of the site and the development of
treeless bogs~ Fire is thus an essential ecosystem process that main-
tains the permafrost-dominated black spruce/feathermoss ecosystem. The
black spruce ecosystem supports the concept of Vitousek and Reiners
(1975) that most forest ecosystems change in patches of various sizes.
This change is controlled by intrinsic factors of the ecosystem or by
extrinsic factors of the environment. In the black spruce ecosystem,
fire serves to recycle the vegetation before it reaches the steady-state
climax condition.

* * *

60
 The Tundra

The tundra vegetation types occur in Alaska westward and northward

of treeline and altitudinally above the treeline. By definition they
occur beyond the limit of tree growth. In Alaska tundra occupies
740,000 square kilometers or approximately 50 percent of the area of the
State. (See Fig. 3, page 39.)

The many variations in tundra vegetation patterns are related in

part to differences in topography, slope, aspect, and substrate.

In Alaska until recently, three main subdivisions of tundra had

been recognized and mapped (JF-SLUPC 1973, Viereck and Little 1972).
These are: wet tundra, 9 percent1 moist tundra, 17 percent; and alpine
tundra, 23 percent. But in this report we follow the preliminary
classification of Viereck and Dyrness (1980), which breaks the tundra
into five main classes: 1. sedge and grass tundra (mostly the wet
tundra); 2. tussock tundra (the moist tundra)1 3. mat or cushion
tundra (primarily mat and cushion tundra); 4. herbaceous tundra; and
5. shrub tundra.

REVEGET ATION after FIRE in the TUNDRA

Interest in fire effects in tundra vegetation has developed
relatively recently. As a consequence, little information is available
from Alaska and much of it is short term, from studies of the 1977
fires. In Alaska information on fire effects comes primarily from a
man-caused fire in a study site in alpine tussock tundra on the Elliott
Highway and from recent studies of the Seward Peninsula fires and the
Kokolik fire of 1977.

In Canada information on the effects of fire on tundra has come from

the Inuvik fire of 1968, which burned in a treeline area where tundra was
interspersed with forested areas. It is often difficult.to separate data
obtained in tundra sites from data from forested sites.

In general, it can be said that tundra fires are extremely variable,

that tundra vegetation is seldom completely destroyed by fire, and that
recovery is usually rapid and by vegetative means. The most important
effects seem to be an increase in the active layer and increased flower-
ing of many of the species, especially the sedge tussocks. In most
cases, all signs of the fire have disappeared by 6 to 8 years. In areas
with abundant lichen cover, however, recov.ery may take much longer ..
Shacklette et al. (1969) found an area on Amchitka Island, Alaska, that
had burned 20 years earlier. It still contrasted conspicuously with
adjacent unburned areas because of the lack of Cladonia lichens and the
slow recovery of Empetrum in the burned area.

61
 Most of the studies of tundra revegetation following fire include
only one or two years of data and contain little information about the
severity of the fire. Wein and Bliss (1973) discussed revegetation 1
and 2 years following fires on four sites, two of which are cottongrass
tussock and two, black spruce woodland with tussocks. Rapid resprouting
occurred, so that productivity in the burned stands was nearly equal to
that of the unburned stands after only 2 years. Most revegetation occur-
red by vegetative means by species that were previously on the site.
Wein and Bliss report, however, invasion by one moss (Polytrichum juni-
perinum), a liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha), and abundant seedlings
of the sedge tussock Eriophorum vaginatum. The only other seedlings re-
ported were very low densities of bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis).
The flowering of the sedge increased significantly compared with-that
on unburned areas. Some of the mosses and lichens and the crowberry
(Empetrum nigrum) showed no recovery. Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)
recovered fastest of all the shrubs.

Johnson (Hall et al. 1978) visited the Kokolik area just one month
after the fire and found that all the aboveground shrub parts had been
killed and none had resprouted at the end of August. By contrast, most
of the sedge tussocks in the burned area showed some regrowth from
shoots, and sedges showed considerable regrowth in the lightly burned,
wetter, low-lying areas. Shrubs sprouted from underground roots and
stems the following year.

Racine (1979) found great variation in the recovery of vegetation

one year after the Seward Peninsula fires of 1977. The vegetation on
the sedge-tussock tundra showed the fastest recovery rate, with 20 to 25
percent cover, which contrasted with only 4 to 7 percent cover on both
the dryer and wetter sites. He found that the developing vegetation
resulted from sprouting of sedges and dwarf shrubs, ~eed germination of
grasses and sedges, and colonization of liverworts and mosses. Sedge
tussocks _and cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) were the most prolific
resprouters, whereas the sedge tussock and bluejoint produced the most
seedlings. Where the organic mat was burned to mineral soil, a number
of forb seedlings were found, including fireweed (Epilobium_angustifolium),
Jacob's ladder (Polemonium boreale), and other "weedy" species.

BIOMASS and PRODUCTIVITY

Biomass accumulation and productivity data following tundra fires
are available from two studies. Wein and Bliss (1973) found that pro-
ductivity in the burned tussock site on the Elliott Highway was
-45.0 g/m 2 /yr the first year following fire. For a similar site and
veg~tation type in the Caribou Hills, Canada, Wein and Bliss (1973)
found 33.0 g/a 2 /yr productivity~ years following a fire. in comparison,
unburned tundra in the same areas produced 88.3 and 36.5 g/m2 /yr
respectively. Wein (1975b) reported on the biomass accumulation in

62
tundra and forest types 5 years after the Inuvik fire. He presented
nc data, but his graph indicates accumulations in 5 years of about
200 g/m 2 • His interesting conclusion was that biomass accumulation was
"remarkably uniform" from the 10 forest, shrub, and tundra communities
sampled.

The TREELINE and FIRE

A special term that should be mentioned is "pyrogenic tundra. " · ·
Kryuchkov (1968) first reported that fires at the northern limits of
trees in Siberia may result in the permanent displacement of treeline to
the south. He termed the tundra that results from these fires "pyrogenic
tundra." He felt that the cause of the treeline displacement was that a
heavy vegetation cover following the fires actually reduced the depth of
annual thaw, resulting in colder soils and increased soil moisture to
the level that trees could.no longer grow on the sites.

The same type of phenomenon has been observed in Canada (Black and
Bliss 1978, Larsen 1965, and Ritchie and Hare 1971). The retreat of
treeline in Canada is generally thought to be the result of climatic
deterioration, but fire also has been important.

Nichols (1976) found that periods of extensive fires destroyed

trees over large areas at treeline and that trees were unable to rein-
vade the tundralike vegetation that formed after the fires. Bryson et
al. (1965) showed that the forests in Keewatin, Canada, failed to regen-
erate after fires 3,500 and 900 years ago. The treeline retreated as
much as 280 kilometers.

In some areas of northern Canada, black spruce clones, reproducing

by layering of the lower branches, are able to maintain themselves
vegetatively for hundreds of years far north of the present continuous
treeline.

In western Alaska and on the south slopes of the Brooks Range, fire
occurs frequently in treeline areas. No studies have been conducted in
Alaska, however, that indicate whether or ,not fires have been important
in determining the location of treeline. Whereas fire might be instru-
mental in restricting treeline by killing trees at their limits, tundra
fires near the treeline might provide a favorable seedbed for tree seeds
and aid in the expansion of treeline during favorable climatic periods
(Viereck 1979).

* * *

63
 Selected References
on
Effects of Fire on Vegetation

Ahlgren, C.E. 1960. Some effects of fire on reproduction and growth of

vegetation in northeastern Minnesota. Ecology 41:431-445.

Archibold, o.w. 1979. Buried viable propagules as a factor in postfire

regeneration in northern Saskatchewan. Can. J. Bot. 57:54-58.

Black, R. A., and L. c. Bliss. 1978. Recovery sequence of Picea

mariana-Vaccinium uliginosum forests after burning near Inuvik, North-
west· Territories, Canada. can. J. Bot. 56:2020-2030.

Bryson, R. A., w. Irving, and J. A. Larsen. 1965. Radiocarbon .and soil

evidence of former forests in the southern Canadian tundra. Science
147:46-48.

Cushwa, C. T., R. E. Martin, and R. L. Miller. 1968. The effects of

fire on seed germination. J. Range Mgmt. 21:250-254.

Flinn, M.A., and R. w. Wein. 1977. Depth of underground plant organs

and theoretical survival duri~g fire. Can. J. Bot. 55:2550-2554.

Foote, M. J. 1976. Classification, description, and dynamics of plant

communities following fire in the taiga of interior Alaska. Fire
effects study. USDA For. Serv., Inst. North. Forest. Fairbanks,
Alaska. Final Rept. for BLM Contract No. 53500-CT2-224. 211 pp.

Jo~son, E. A. 1975. Buried seed populations in the subarctic forest

east of Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories. Can. J. Bot.
53:2933-2941.
Kershaw, K. A., w. R. Rouse, and B. T. Bunting. 1975. The impact of
fire on forest and tundra ecosystems. Arctic Land Use Res. Program,
Dept. Indian Affairs and North. Develop, Ottawa, Ontario. North of
60. ALUR Rept. 74-75-63. 81 pp.

Lutz, H.J. 1955. Ecological effects of forest fires in the interior

of Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Alaska For. Res. Cent. Tech. Bull. 1133.
121 pp.

Mackay, J. R. 1977. Changes in the active layer from 1968 to 1976 as a

result of the Inuvik fire. Pages 273-275 in Report of Activities.
Part B: Geol. Surv. Can., Pap. 77-1B.

Maikawa, E., and K. A. Kershaw. 1976. Studies on lichen-dominated

64
 systems. XIX. The postfire recovery sequence of black spruce-lichen
woodland in the Abitau Lake Region, N.W.T. Can. J. Bot. 54:2679-2687.

Moore, J.M., and R. W. Wein. 1977. Viable seed populations by soil

depth and potential site recolonization after disturbance. Can. J.
Bot. 55:2408-2412.

Nichols, H. 1976. Historical aspects of the northern Canadian treeline.

Arctic 29(1):38-47.

Racine, c. H. 1979. The 1977 tundra fires in the Seward Peninsula,

Alaska: effects and initial revegetation. USDI, Bureau of Land
Management, Alaska. Tech. Rept. 4. 51 pp.

Rencz, A.N., and A. N. D. Auclair. 1978. Biomass distribution in a

subarctic Picea mariana-Cladonia alpestris woodland. Can. J. For.
Res. 8:168-176.

Rowe, J. s., and G. W. Scotter. 1973. Fire in the boreal forest.

Quat. Res. 3(3) :444-464.

Stark, N., and R. Steele. 1977. Nutrient content of forest shrubs

following burning. Amer. J. Bot. 64{10):1218-1224.

Viereck, L.A., and C. T. Dyrness, eds. 1979. Ecological effects of

the Wickersham Dome fire near Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv.,
Pacific N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon. Gen. Tech.
Rept. PNW-90. 71 pp.

Viereck, L.A., M. J. Foote, c. T. Dyrness, K. Van Cleve, D. Kane, and

R. Seifert. 1979. Preliminary results of experimental fires in the
black spruce type of interior Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W.
For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon. Res. Note. PNW-<32. 28 pp.

Vitousek, P. M., and W. A. Reiners. 1975. Ecosystem succession and

nutrient retention: a hypothesis. Bioscience 25(6) :376-381.

Wein, R. W. 1975. Vegetation recovery in arctic tundra and forest-

tundra after fire. Pages 1-62 in Arctic Land Use Res. Program,
Dept. Indian Affairs and North. Develop., Ottawa, Ontario. ALUR
Rept. 74-75-62.

1978. The role of fire in the degradation of ecosystems.

Pages 193-209 in M. W. Holdgate and M. J. Woodman,.eds. The breakdown
and restoration of ecosystems. NATO Conference Series I. Ecology.
NATO Scientific Affairs Division. Plenum Puhl. Corp. New York and
London.

Wein, R. W., and L. C. Bliss. 19.73. Changes in arctic Eriophorum

tussock communities following fire. Ecology 54:845-852.

65
Zasada, J.C. 1971. Natural regeneration of interior Alaska forests--
seed, seedbed, and vegetative reproduction considerations. Pages
231-246 inc. W. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds.
Fire in the northern environment. Proceedings of a symposium.
April 1971. Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N. W. For.
and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon.

Zasada, J. c., and R. A. Gregory. 1969. Regeneration of white spruce

with reference to interior Alaska1 a literature review. USDA For.
serv., Pacific N. W. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Insto Northern Forest.,
Juneau, Alaska. Res. Pap. PNW-79. 37 pp.

EFFECTS of FIRE on ANIMAL LIFE

Caribou and Reindeer

AN UNRESOLVED PROBLEM
No subject related to fire effects is more controversial than that
of the effects of fire on caribou range and caribou populations. The
problem was thoroughly reviewed recently for Canada and Alaska by
Kelsall et al. (1977) and by Davis et al. (1978). The latter paper is
most thorough in its review of the Alaska situation, and especially for
the Fortymile caribou herd in eastern Alaska.

In this review we have attempted to summarize the above two reviews

and to point out gaps in knowledge on fire-caribou interactions. As with
any review of a controversial subject, this review will not produce any
new information nor will it resolve the controversies. This can only be
done with additional research in each of the geographic areas being
considered. As pointed out by Kelsall et al. (1977) there has been a
comprehensive and continuous research program on caribou since 1947,. and
yet many questions remain unresolved. We know the following facts:

1. Caribou numbers have declined drastically in Canada and in

Alaska.
2. Fire destroys lichens in the forest floor and
those growing on trees.

3. Recovery of lichens is slow following fire.

4. Caribou select out and feed on lichens during critical

winter months.

66
 5. Fire frequency is high and is thought to have increased in
the 1900s in the northern parts of the taiga where caribou
spend the winter months.

Most early observers concluded that the increased fire, caused by

man's movement into northern forests and development there, was the
prime reason for the caribou declines. This was a.widely held and
published opinion of many scientists up through the 1960s. One can find
the idea repeated in many publications dating even into the 1970s
(Loughery and Kelsall 1970, Scotter 1971b, Pruitt 1978).

In a series of papers since the late 1960s, the point of view has
been presented that fire has not been responsible for the decline of
ca;-ibou herds in most areas of Alaska and Canada and that in fact, a
certain level of fire frequency may be necessary for optimum development
of the lichen-rich winter ranges of the caribou (Bergerud 1971, 1974-;
Davis et al. 1978; Johnson and Rowe 1975; Maikawa and Kershaw 1976;
Miller 1976a and b). In addition, some scientists have questioned the
degree to which caribou are dependent on lichens for survival (Skoog
1968, Davis et al. 1978). In Canada investigators disagree as to
whether or not there has actually been an increase in fire frequency on
caribou winter range that could have resulted in the decline of the
caribou herds (Scotter 1964, Johnson and Rowe 1975).

FIRE and LICHENS

An important aspect of the general problem of the effect of fire on
caribou populations is that of the interrelationship of fire and lichens.
several studies, in particular those of Palmer (1941), Palmer and Rouse
(1945), and Scotter (1964), have shown that the fruticose lichens, espe-
cially those of the genus Cladina 1 (or subgenus Cladina of the genus
Cladonia), are very susceptible to fire and that their recovery.is ex-
tremely slow. These Cladina species, especially c. rangiferina, c.
arbuscula, and C. alpestris, have been found to be the lichens caribou
prefer (Ahti and Hepburn 1967).
The time required for lichens to recover from fire appears to vary
widely. Davis et al. (1978) illustrated this in a table showing the
lichen type, type of habitat, regeneration time, and source. Interest-
ingly, those who reported that fire is important in limiting caribou
populations (Scotter 1964, 1971b; Lutz 1955; Palmer and Rouse 1945) also

1
Lichen names in this report follow Hale .and Culberson (1970), A Fourth
Checklist of the Lichens of the Continental United States and Canada.
These authors separate the coJttmonly called "reindeer lichens" into the
genus Cladina. They also use Cladina arbuscula for the formerly named
Cladonia sylvatica.

67
report the longest time for lichen recovery, 50 to more than 100 years;
whereas those who conclude that fire is not the causal factor in caribou
decline (Miller 1976b; Bergerud 1971, 1974) report shorter times for
lichen recovery--15 to 40 years. One must realize that the recovery
rate may be related to climate, severity of fire, and original vegeta-
tion type, and thus all reported figures may be accurate. As an example,
Skuncke (1969) reported no recovery of Cladina alpestris 140 years
following a severe wildfire in Sweden, but good lichen recovery only 20
years after a light, controlled burn. The slow recovery rates re~rted
by Palmer were from the -Seward Peninsula of Alaska, while the rapid
rates reported by Bergerud (1971, 1974) were from the open lichen
woodlands of Newfoundland, where the climate is warmer than in Alaska.

In relatively recent times, Pegau (1968, 1970, 1972, 1973) studied

lichen recovery rates following fire and disturbance in Alaska. In some
cases he used old enclosures and plots established by Palmer. In the
Nelchina area, he found that Cladina arbuscula and C. rangiferina usually
recovered within 30 to 40 years.

Fire does not appear to destroy lichen ranges under all conditions.
Some studies have indicated that fire may increase lichen cover, especi-

15 -
14
13
12
II -
10,-
9,-
n. 8,-
e
0
7-
Cl 6-
-~
-a 5-
C:
0 4-
if)
3-
2-
I-
0 - 46
U5
I 53
54
55
57
60
61
63
65
69
98
104 ~ 1C11
108
I
113 115 116 117 12a 145 148 159 166 YEARS
Age Of Stand

Fig. B. Comparison of stand age with standing crop of lichens in sites

used by caribou in Manitoba and Saskatchewan during 1972 and 1973
(from Miller 1976b).

68
ally where thick carpets of mosses have developed. Miller (1976b) and
Kershaw et al. (1975) pointed out that in many middle-aged spruce stands
in Canada, lichen quantities reach a maximum in from 60 to 120 years and
decrease in older stands (Fig. 8). Miller showed that lichen biomass
reached a maximum of 10,000 to 15,000 kg/ha in spruce stands of from 50
to 120 years old and decreased in older stands to 3,000 to 5,000 kg/ha.
Bergerud (1971) concluded that forest fires in Newfoundland increased
the. extent of caribou winter range by altering closed canopy forests to
open lichen woodlands or shrub barrens. These studies indicate that at
least infrequent fire is necessary to maintain optimum lichen cover.

Some authors (Ahti and Hepburn 1967) reconnnended that prescribed·

burning be used to increase lichen cover and improve caribou range,
especially in sphagnum peatlands, treeless bogs, and wooded muskegs in
Newfoundland. Light burning has been suggested as a method to improve
reindeer range in Scandinavia (Skuncke 1969). Miller (197Gb) concluded
that fire improved caribou range by increasing heterogeneity, which
favored the growth of some lichen species that grow in early succes-
sional stages.

CARIBOU and LICHENS

Another question related to the fire-caribou problem is, How
dependent are caribou on lichens for winter range? Biologists disagree
as to whether lichens are essential in the diet of the caribou or
whether caribou select lichens because they are available in winter.
Kryuchkov (1978) and Klein (1974) have described a population of rein-
deer living where there was little lichen cover (1 to 3 percent). In
experiments, the reindeer seemed to thrive on a diet with low lichen
content. Kryuchkov believes that this population has developed the
capability to live on lichen-low diets as the lichen cover was gradually
reduced through overgrazing. Both Skoog (1968) for Alaska and Bergerud
(1971, 1974f for Newfoundland conclude that caribou do not require
lichens for survival during the winter, although both authors show that
caribou utilize lichens heavily when they are available.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Fires may affect caribou in ways other than reducing the lichen
cover of winter range. Banfield (1954) suggested that caribou avoid
recent burns because of the difficulty of moving through downed trees.
Pruitt (1959) suggested that snow is compacted in burns and caribou
avoid the burns for this reason. On the other hand, vegetation greens
up earlier in burned areas and for a few years following fire may be
richer in nutrients. Reindeer on the Seward Peninsula utilize recently
burned areas in the fall and early spring. Bergerud (1974) has sugges-
ted that large burns allow "buffer species" of prey to increase. This

69
in turn encourages predator increase that ultimately affects the caribou
populations.

Scientists seem generally to agree that fire has always been a part
of the taiga environment, and therefore, that caribou have been able to
maintain their populations despite widespread fires. There also seems
to be general agreement that the caribou populations in both Alaska and
Canada have declined since the early 1900s. Skoog (1968), however,
pointed out that the decline has not been steady and· that in Alaska
there is evidence that population highs occurred in the 1860s and 1920s
and lows in the 1890s and 1940s. These low population periods do not
seem to coincide with periods of reported increase in fire frequency in
Alaska. In addition, as pointed out by Davis et al. (1978), in the
Nelchina caribou herd range, major fires that occurred in the 1940s were
followed by an expanded caribou population through the 1960s.

~ergerud (1974) examined the decline of the North American caribou

populations in the 1900s and presented four possible hypotheses:

1. Caribou numbers decreased because of a lichen shortage, caused

by increased fire and logging.

2. The numbers decreased because of increased hunting by human

beings, augmented by increased wolf predation.

3. The decline was due to a combination of 1 and 2.

4. The decline was due to movement of caribou to marginal areas.

Bergerud concluded that the main cause of the decline of the herds
was as stated in hypothesis number 2, the increased hunting by human be-
ings. He could find no evidence of inadequate winter range for the ex-
isting caribou herds in Canada.

CARIBOU and FIRE in ALASKA ·

For Alaska, Davis et al. (1978), using results of their own studies
and those of a thorough earlier study by Skoog. (1968), reviewed the
population history of each of the major caribou herds in Alaska and the
fire history of each herd's range. They point out the difficulty of
obtaining a historical perspective because fire records were inadequate
before the 1940s and few estimates of caribou numbers were documented.
On a statewide basis, they found, data were insufficient to support more
than the generalization that the population fluctuations do not seem to
correlate with the periods of suspected higher fire frequency during the
gold mining and early development era.

Davis et al. (1978) attempted to summarize the effects of fires on

70
each of six regions that contain one or more caribou herds. Most of
their information is from Skoog (1968), with recent information on the
caribou populations from their own studies. We have swnmarized their
conclusions as follows:

Region I. Southwest Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula

--- -- -- --- -----
The Alaska Peninsula herd has not been affected by fire because· of
the low fire frequency in the area. The population may have been
isolated from the other caribou herds by large fires that occurred in
1935 in the Kvichak River and Lake Iliamna areas.

Region II. Western Alaska with the McKinley, Mulchatna, Beaver, and
Kuskokwim Mountains herds

Skoog (1968) pointed out that fires have been widespread in the
winter range of these areas. He felt that the potential utilization of
the area had been severely restricted because of fire damage to winter
ranges. He felt, however, that the lichen and sedge stands along the
Alaska Range were more than adequate to support the existing car_ibou
populations. Davis et al. (1978) concluded that there is no obvious
correlation between recent reduced numbers of caribou in the area and
the incidence of fires. The 1977 Bear Creek fire, which covered more
than 154,000 hectares on the north side of the Alaska Range, occurred
where caribou had wintered in the past.

Region III. Northwest Alaska - Western Arctic herd

Skoog (1968) stated that fire had not been important in the area
except in the southeastern quadrant. Davis et al. (1978) stated that
although the caribou herd in the area " ••• declined dramatically between
1970 a??-d 1976 ••• to date it does not appear that wildfires played a
significant role in that decline."

Region IV. Northeast Alaska - Porcupine herd

This area has had the highest fire frequency of any of the regions.
Davis et al. (1978) state, "Concurrent with extensive burning in the
late 1930s and early 1940s, large emigrations occurred either east into
Northwest Territories or west into the Western Arctic (Region III). The
correlation is apparent, but a causal relationship can probably never be
established." [The area continues to have a high fire frequency, with a
natural fire cycle for the forested area of 49 years (Yarie 1979).]

Region v. Eastcentral Alaska - the Fortymile herd

Davis et al. (1978) conducted a detailed analysis of the effects of

fire on the Fortymile herd. They examined the potential herd-carrying

71
capacity of the various vegetation types within the area and looked in
detail at the fire history and the population estimates over the past
years. They used the most conservative estimates in their considera-
tions _of range potential and caribou numbers. Biomass figures from
Pegau's (1972) work in the Nelchina area were used to calculate that the
carrying capacity of the Fortymile range exceeded 500,000 caribou in
1956.
Their conclusions are that although fires have been extensive in.
the area and that nearly 1.5 million acres of lichen habitat were·
destroyed between 1956 and 1976, the fires were not extensive enough to
cause the great decline that has occurred within the herd. During that
20-year period, the caribou nwnbers never approached the maximum in
carrying capacity of the range. The authors calculated that the carry-
ing capacity of the area and the magnitude of the population here
decline (from 30,000 to 15,000 head between 1967 and 1970) exceeded the
total calculated carrying capacity decreases from 1955 to 1976. They
conclude that, " ••. the population decline of the Fortymile herd has not
been the result of habitat destruction, and that the limiting factor at
present is not range."

Ahti· and Hepburn (1967) had concluded that present lichen ranges in
--northern Ontario could support six times as many caribou as were presen-
tlroccupying the range.

Region VI. Southcentral Alaska - Nelchina, Mentasta, and Kenai herds

The Nelchina area has been subject to widespread fires since before
the white man arrived (Skoog 1968). Skoog felt, however, that there was
adequate winter range for the existing herd, especially in the alpine
. areas not subject to extensive fires. Pegau (1972) , however, disagreed
with Skoog, and felt that the range was badly deteriorated by too many
animals. Davis et al. (1978) point out that there is no obvious corre-
lation between fires and caribou abundance in the Nelchina area. They
state, " ... most major fires occurred during the 1940s, •.• yet during the
late 1940s through 1960s the population expanded considerably."

Davis et al. (1978) reviewed the history of fire and caribou herds
on the Kenai Peninsula in detail because it has been used by many
authors as an example of where widespread fires resulted in the complete
____ annihilation of a caribou herd. Skoog (1968) and Davis et al. (1978),
however, point out that the Kenai Peninsula is marginal as caribou
range and that it was an "overflow" area during times of high caribou
populations in other areas. They state that the caribou disappearance
from the Kenai in the early 1900s may have been only partially or not at
all related to the widespread fires of the 1880s and 1890s. Davis et
al. (1978) conclude that, "It is likely that factors other than wildfire
were responsible for the decline of Kenai caribou during the early
twentieth century."

72
 From exhaustive review of the fire-caribou situation in Alaska,
Davis et al. (1978) conclude the following:

The evidence from caribou populations in Alaska and

Canada suggests that fire has not been the major
limiting factor to most caribou populations including
the Fortymile herd, and that the proper evaluation of
its role in caribou declines must be analyzed on a
case-by-case basis. The textbook ecology. conclusion
that fire has been the cause of widespread North
American caribou declines in the twentieth century
does not seem tenable. It can be argued that fires
can temporarily reduce the absolute abundance of forage
available, but in most instances it does not appear that
the amount of forage available at any given time is low
enough to be considered the limiting factor for most
caribou herds.
Our own conclusions are that the evidence is not conclusive as to
the degree of effect, if any, that widespread wildfires in Alaska and
adjacent Canada have had on the caribou populations. The caribou is a
difficult animal to study because of its wide ranging, migratory habits,
its reliance on different areas and vegetation types at different times
of the year, and its relative isolation. There seems to be no disagree-
ment that fire has burned over large areas of winter range in the past
80 years. Most investigators would agree that this process has been
continuing for centuries without serious detriment to the caribou herds.
An increase in fire frequency has occurred in many areas with modern
development and at the same time, caribou numbers have decreased. But
that fire is the cause has not been proved. Other aspects of increased
development, such as increased hunting, disruption of migration routes
by roads and pipelines, control and lack of control of predators, may be
as important or more important than the effects of fire.

Lastly, it should be pointed out that to generalize and extrapolate

from one area to another or from one herd to another is unwise. Kelsall
et al. (1977) have noted that two of the studies that showed no correla-
tion between fire and caribou populations (Bergerud 1971, ·1974; Miller
1976b) were carried out in areas of low fire frequency, whereas those of
Scatter (1963, 1964, 1967, 1971b) and Kelsall (1968), which concluded
that fire was responsible for reducing caribou numbers, were carried out
in areas of higher fire frequencies. The studies in Alaska by Skoog
(1968) and Davis et al.(1978) also have shown that different factors may
be affecting different caribou herds. Some herds are found in areas
with high fire frequencies, and others in areas with low fire frequen-
cies. Some herds have increased despite extensive fires, while others
have declined during periods of extensive fires.

* * *

73
REINDEER and FIRE
Most of the information on caribou and fire applies also to reindeer,
with one significant difference. Caribou are able to change migration
patterns or move into unburned areas following extensive wildfires and
return to a burned area whenever the vegetation has recovered. Reindeer,
however, are usually restricted to certain areas by herd ownership
patterns and range allotments. Swnmer range that has burned recovers
rapidly and may, in fact, provide more biomass and nutritious forage and
for a longer time in the sununer than before the area was burned. However,
if extensive winter range within any one herd allotment is burned,
reindeer could have difficulty obtaining enough food to maintain themselves
through the winter.

As with the caribou, the problems revolve around recovery rates of

lichens and whether or not lichens are essential to the animal's diet.
As mentioned in the caribou discussion, Klein (1974) cites the case of
the Hargri~ reindeer in Siberia, which thrive where few lichens are
available. Under controlled conditions, these reindeer did better and
used less liche~ range than did the control reindeer group.

In 1977 extensive fires in western Alaska burned large amounts of

reindeer range on the Seward Peninsula. These burned areas are an ideal
site for study of the effects of fire on reindeer summer and winter
range. They should also offer opportunities to study herding problems
related to fires within given range allotment areas.

GAPS in KNOWLEDGE
On FIRE-CARIBOU INTERACTIONS
Although considerable research has been done on caribou in Alaska,
we have relatively little detailed information on range conditions and
effects of fire on caribou and reindeer range.
Klein and White (1978) state that the extensive 1977 fire sites in
western and northwestern Alaska should be used for general studies on
long- and short-term effects of fires on summer range for reindeer and
caribou. They also discuss the need for detailed studies of the effects
of fire in the spruce/lichen wintering areas of the caribou in all parts
of Alaska.
Nothing is known of optimmn fire frequencies for various types of
caribou and reindeer range. Nor can one determine from available infor-
mation whether an area has been burned too much in the past or whether
fire may be needed to improve range conditions.

Fire history maps and vegetation maps are needed for critical
habitat in Alaska. LANDSAT and aerial photographs have been used to

74
demark both recent fire areas (LaPerriere l976a,b; Shilts 1975; Hall et
al. 1978) and caribou ranges (Nadler et al. 1978, LaPerriere 1976a).
These types of studies should be continuing so that at any time, we can
determine the percentage of any given area that has been burned, over
any given time span.

Infonnation is needed for each of the major caribou ranges in

Alaska on the recovery rate time of lichens following fire and the age
of stands with maximwn biomass and growth ~f lichens.

Some of the information detennined for one area will be useful in

other areas of caribou range, but as noted previously, each range unit
may have peculiar conditions or different fire frequencies and recovery
rates. Verification studies will be needed from region to region, even
within Alaska.

SELECTED REFERENCES on
EFFECTS of FIRE on CARIBOU and REINDEER
Ahti, T., and R. L. Hepburn. 1967. Preliminary studies on woodland
caribou range, especially on lichen stands in Ontario. Dept. Lands
and Forests, Res. Branch, Res. Rept. (Wildlife) No. 74. 134 PP·

Bergerud, A. T. 1971. Abundance of forage on the winter range of

Newfoundland caribou. Can. Field-Naturalist. 85:39-52.
1974. Decline of caribou in North America following settle-
ment. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 38:757-770.
Courtright, A. M. 1959. Range management and the genus Rangifer: A
review of selected literature. M.S.Thesis. Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks.
172 pp~
Davis, J. L., R. Shideler, and R. E. LeResche. 1978. Range reconnais-
sance-Fortymile caribou herd. Pages 1-42 in Fortymile caribou herd
studies. Alaska Dept. Fish and Game, Juneau. Fed. Aid in Wildl.
Restoration, Proj. W-17-6, W-17-7, Job 3.16R.

Hall, D. K., J. Brown, and L. Johnson. 1978. The 1977 tundra fire in
the Kokolik River area of Alaska. Arctic 31:54-58.
Hanson, H. c., R. F. Scott, R. o. Skoog, R. A. Rausch, and W. Miller.
1958. Caribou management studies, analysis of Nelchina caribou
range. Alaska Game Commission, Wildl. Invest. Job Completion Rept.,
Proj. W-3-R-12, Vol. 12, No. 4. Unpublished Rept. 68 pp.
Johnson, E. A., and J. s. Rowe. 1975. Fire in the subarctic wintering
ground of the Beverley caribou herd. Amer. Midl. Naturalist 94(1) :1-
14.

75
Kelsall, J.P. 1968. The migratory barren-ground caribou of Canada.
Can. Dept. Indian Affairs and N. Develop., Can. Wildl. Serv. 340 pp.

Kelsall, J.P., E. s. Telfer, and T. D. Wright. 1977. The effects of

.fire on the ecology of the boreal forest, with particular reference
to the Canadian north: a review and selected bibliography. Can. Wildl.
Serv. Occas. Pap. 32. 58 pp.

Klein, D.R. 1970. Tundra ranges north of the boreal forest. J. Range
Mgmt. 23:8-24.

Klein, D.R., and R. G. White, eds. 1978. Parameters of caribou

population ecology in Alaska. Proceedings of a symposium.and workshop.
Biol. Pap. Univ. Alaska. Spec. Rept. No. 3. 49 PP•
Maikawa, E., and K. A. Kershaw. 1976. Studies on lichen-dominated
systems. XIX. The postfire recovery sequence of black spruce-lichen
woodland in the Abitau Lake Region, N.W.T. Can. J. Bot. 54:2679-2687.

Miller, D.R. 1976a. Biology of the Kaminuriak population of barren-

·ground caribou. Part 3: Taiga winter range relationships and diet.
can. Wildl. serv. Rept. Ser. 36. 42 pp.
197Gb. Wildfire and caribou on the taiga ecosystem of
northcentral Canada. Ph.D. Thesis. Univ. Idaho, Moscow. 131 pp.

Palmer, L. J., and c. H. Rouse. 1945. Study or the Alaska tundra with
reference to its reactions of reindeer and other grazing. USDI, Fish
and Wildl. Serv. Res. Rept. No. 10. 48 pp.

Pegau, R. E. 1972. Caribou investigations--Analysis of range in

_Alaska. Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Fed. Aid in Wildl. Rester.,
Caribou Rept. No. 13, Jobs W-17-2, W-17-3. 216 pp.

Pruitt, w.o., Jr. 1959. Snow as a factor in the winter ecology of the
barren ground caribou (Rangifer arcticus). Arctic 12(3) :159-179.

Scatter, G. w. 1964. Effects of forest fires on the winter range of

barren-ground caribou in northern Saskatchewan. Can. Wildl. Serv.
Wildl. Mgmt. Bull., Series 1(18) :1-111.

1971. Wildfires in relation to the habitat of the barren-

ground caribou in the taiga of northern Canada. Proc. Ann. Tall
Timbers Fire Ecol. Conf. 10:85-105.

Skoog, R. o. 1968. Ecology of the caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti)

in Alaska. Ph.D. Thesis. Univ. Calif., Berkeley. 699 pp.

76
 Moose

MOOSE POPULATION CHANGES and FIRE

Moose occur throughout the taiga and adjacent tundra areas of
Alaska and have long been residents of interior and southcentral Alaska
(Lutz 1960). It is generally recognized that moose browse is more
abundant in successional stands than in mature forest types, and that
moose populations have increased in many areas of Alaska and northern
Canada following wildfire. There are, however, some examples where
extensive wildfires have not been followed by moose population expansion.

A number of studies have linked moose population increases to fires

in Alaska. Probably the best known is that of the population increases
following the 116,000 hectare Kenai fire in 1947 (Spencer and Chatelain
1953, Peterson 1955). The estimated number of moose in the burned area
increased from 0.24 moose per km 2 in 1950 to 1.0 moose per km 2 in 1953
(calculated from number reported for the total area). Twenty-four years
after the fire the moose population had increased to 10.6 moose per km 2
(Bailey 1978) .

Moose population increases following fire have been reported from

other areas of Alaska. Buckley (1958) reported a general increase in
moose in Alaska following an increase in wildfire during the first half
of the twentieth century. He stated that it was highly unlikely that
moose had ever been more abundant in Alaska than they were during the
1950s. Chatelain (1954) related moose abundance in the Kenai, Susitna,
and upper Copper River areas to previous extensive fires there. Coady
(1973) reported an increase in moose browse and moose following a 1957
fire on the Tanana Flats, south of Fairbanks, Alaska. Increases of
moose populations following fire have also been documented for northern
Canada (Scotter 1964, 1971a) and Minnesota (Peek 1974).

LeResche et al. {1974) considered one additional variable to be

important; the period of time the browse remains abundant in the height
range between snow level and within reach of moose.

The importance of browse during the critical winter period has been
shown in a study by Sigman (1979), who found that in winter, moose moved
into a part of the 1947 Kenai burn that was being crushed. The moose
fed on the bark of the felled aspen and used snow packed by crushing
equipment to travel on.

More available moose browse is produced after wildfire than was

present in the original stand before it burned. Although some investi-
gators have described postburn browse quantities and the length of time
browse is available, no one has compared this infonnation with data
on preburn conditions or related it to fire severity.

71
These two factors have much to do with the quality and quantity of
browse produced (Fig. 9).

some general infonnation is available on the length of time that

browse is available to moose following fire. Scotter (1964, 1971a),
using moose pellet group counts, found that moose utilized burned areas
from 1 to 50 years following a fire. In the Kenai area, Spencer and
Hakala (1964) found that optimum browse occurred between 5 and 20 years,
but that occasionally browse was available for 60 to 70 years. Observa..:.
tions of exclosures in some areas of high moose population on the Kenai
Peninsula indicate that moose may be able to prolong the browse period
by keeping the willows and aspen from growing above their reach. An
example is the 1959 Kenai Lake burn, where LeResche et al. (1974) reported
that succession has been retarded by moose browsing the shrubs and
hardwoods to the snow level annually. They stated that generally, how-
ever, moose are unable to alter the rate of postburn succession. The
quantity and quality of browse may be reduced if the moose overutilize
it and destroy some favored forage species. Overutilization also may
eventually deplete plant and soil reserves and result in a decline in
productivity (Wolff 1978, Menke 1973).

Wolff and Zasada (1979) examined moose browse following fires in

the Fairbanks area. They found that aspen regenerate maximum browse
quality in burned stands faster than do other species. Aspen suckers
become available the first year following the fire and produce large
quantities of browse for up to 10 years. After that, most of the browse
.is tall and out of reach of the moose. These investigators found that
no browse was available to moose in aspen stands that were 35 and 70
years of age.

Willow and birch develop from sprouts following fire. Their growth
.is somewhat slower than that of aspen, and they reach maximum browse
production at 11 to 16 years following fire, declining markedly after 20
years. If the fire is intense ·enough to prevent regeneration from root
and stump sprouts, regeneration must be from seed. Browse availability
may be delayed by about 5 years due to the slower development of seedl~
.ings (Fig. 9) .

In general wildfires are followed by increased available moose

browse that usually lasts from 20 to 25 years. Some fires, however, do
·not produce significant increases in moose browse. The increases are
undoubtedly related to the prefire vegetation and the severity of the
fire. A fire that is severe enough to remove the entire organic layer
may kill the underground parts of browse species but may provide good
conditions for regeneration by seed. A less se~ere fire, on the other
hand, may result in increased sprouting if the original browse species
are not totally destroyed. A light to moderate fire in a stand that
does not have a complement of browse species may result in little to no
increase in browse.

78
Q)

.c
C Aspen, Reproduction
C
>
<[
Q)
en
3
0
L Birch, Vegetative /
....
',,ru
Birch, Seed Reproduction

,
CD
Reproduction ,,,,,.-, - --..;: ',
'+-
\\'\- / I \
0

-
(/) ~y / \
C
:::, I ..,..._.___
I ••••••••••••.
... ... " \
'
0
E
/ /..,,.,.._:; ·-. 1 . . . .·-. _ "' \ Willow, Seed
<[ _/ _../ fV ·,., ., ·· ..... "-'C Reproduction
Q) I/ /
.. ·i
•/ . .
Willow, Vegetative
.' · , . --~
··- ..~ .

-
>
a
Q) f 1/.
/;·
_.. ·/
/
_.~
1
Reproduction "" ·--~
~- ......~~-- .•.•
,-':Ii....: ..
a:: .7 ~
. :,.,
:,,,· .,,- ... ~------·.-:-.

0 4 8 12 14 18 22 26 30
Y~ors
Fig. 9. Relative amounts of moose browse available compared with the
time since fire or other disturbance in interior Alaska (from Wolff and
zasada 1979).

In addition to the amount of browse produced, cover, traditional

use of the area, and availability of moose in adjacent areas, other
factors undoubtedly are important in determining moose utilization of
burned areas.

GAPS In KNOWLEDGE
On FIRE-MOOSE INTERACTIONS

Intensive research on moose has been conducted in Alaska over the

past 25 years because of the animal's importance as a big game species.
Studies of moose food habits and browse in the 1947 and 1969 Kenai
Peninsula burns have been conducted in moose pens on the Kenai National
Moose Range and in other parts of the Kenai Peninsula. In addition,
investigations of browse improvement through experimental burning and
crushing have been made. The only results published are by Sigman
(1979), who reported on use of felled and crushed trees by moose at the
time of crushing. Some moose range research has also been carried on in

19
the Interior, on the Tanana River. There is a lack of information on a
number of problems related to fire and moose. Information gaps in the
following subjects became apparent during this review:

1. The quantity and quality of browse following fire, including

identification of the original vegetation type, interval between fires,
and differences in fire severity. The prescribed fire and experimental
fire programs on the Chugach National Forest, the Kenai National Moose
Range, and the Washington Creek fire ecology site should be utilized
heavily for obtaining this information.

2. The whole problem of "traditional use of areas," the dynamics

of burn invasion by moose, the optimum size of burns, and the optimum
number of unburned islands left within burns.

3. The effects of moose on the developing vegetation. Is there an

optimum browse utilization? This implies that a moose population can
use the browse and prolong the time that browse is available.

4. The possible competition between moose and snowshoe hares, and

how hare cycles interact with fire frequencies and moose papulations.

SELECTED REFERENCES on
.:EFFECTS of FIRE on MOOSE
Bailey, T. N. 1978. Moose populations on the Kenai National Moose
Range. Proc. N. Amer. Moose. Con£. Workshop 14:1-20. Alaska Dept. of
Fish and Game

Bendell, J. F. 1974. Effects of fire on birds and marmnals. Pages 73-

138 in T. T. Kozlowski and c. E. Ahlgren, eds. Fire and ecosystems.
Academic Press, New York.

Bishop, R.H., and R. A. Rausch. 1974. Moose population fluctuations

in Alaska, 1950-1972. Naturaliste can. 101:559-593.

Coady, J. w. 1973. Interior moose studies. Alaska Dept. Fish and Game,
Ann. Proj. Progr. Rept., Fed. Aid Wildl. Rester., Proj. W-17-6, Vol.l,
Juneau. 54 pp.

1976. Status of moose populations in interior Alaska. Alaska

bept. Fish and Game. Wildl. Inf. Leaflet No. 2. 4 pp.

Cowan, I. McT., W. s. Hoar, and J. Hatter. 1950. The effect of forest

succession upon the quality and upon the nutritive values of woody
plants used as food by moose. Can. J. Res. Sec. D, 28:249-271.

80
Culbertson, J. L. 1975. Quartz Creek moose habitat improvement project,
herbicide treatment phase. Completion Report and Final Results.
Chugach National Forest. 5 pp.

1976. Mile 43 moose range crushing; 10 years' analysis and

comparison to the effects of the 1959 Kenai Lake Fire. Progress
Report. Chugach National Forest. 8 pp.

Cushwa, c. T., and J. Coady. 1976. Food habits of moose, Alaes alaes,
in Alaska: A preliminary study using rumen contents analysis. Can.
Field-Naturalist 90:11-16.

Dodds, D. G. 1960. Food competition and range relationships of moose

and snowshoe hare in Newfoundland. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 24:52-60.

Johnson, A. 1975. History of fires on the Kenai Moose Range. Canadian-

Alaska fire seminar, Oct. 8, 1975. Unpublished Rept. 4 pp.

Kelleyhouse, D. G. 1978. Fire-wildlife relationships in Alaska. Un-

published paper, presented at BLM Fire Advisor's Workshop, March 1978.
Fairbanks. Alaska Dept. Fish and Game.

LeResche, R. E., R.H. Bishop, and J. w. Coady. 1974. Distribution and

habitats of moose in Alaska. Naturaliste Can. 101:143-178.

LeResche, R. E., and J. L. Davis. 1973. Importance of nonbrowse foods

to moose on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 37-29-287.

LeResche, R. E., A. W. Franzmann, and P. D. Arneson. 1973. Moose

productivity and physiology. Pages 1-109 in Moose Research Center
Report. Alaska Dept. Fish and Game, Juneau. Vol. XIII, Proj. Prag.
Rept., Fed. Aid in Wildl. Rest. Proj. W-17-4, Job 1.1 R.
Lutz, H.J. 1960. History of the early occurrence of moose on the
Kenai Peninsula and in other sections of Alaska. USDA For. Serv.,
Alaska Res. Center, Juneau, Alaska. Misc. Puhl. No. 1. 25 pp.

Machida, S. 1978. Preferenti~l use of willow by moose in interior

Alaska. Alaska Coop. Wildl. Res. Unit, Univ~ Alaska, Fairbanks.
Unpublished Rept. 7 pp.
Oldemeyer, J. L. 1974. Nutritive value of moose forage. Naturaliste
Can. 101:217-226.
1977. Impact of LeTourneau tree crushers on moose habitat
on the Kenai National Moose Range. Paper presented at NW Sec. Meet-
ing, The Wildlife Society, Kalispell, Montana, February 16-19, 1977.

Oldemeyer, J. L., A. W. Franzmann, A. L. Brundage, P. o. Arneson, and

A. Flynn. 1977. Browse quality and the Kenai moose population.
J. Wildl. Mgmt. 41(3):533-542.

81
Peek, J.M. 1974. Initial response of moose to a forest fire in
northeastern Minnesota. Amer. Midl. Naturalist 91(2):435-438.

Spencer, o. L., and J.B. Hakala. 1964. Moose and fire on the Kenai.
Proc. Ann. Tall Timbers Fire Ecol. Con£. 3:ll-33.

Wolff, J. 0. 1978. Burning and browsing effects on willow growth in

interior Alaska. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 42:135-140.

Wolff, J. o., and J. c. Zasada. 1979. Moose habitat and forest suc-
cession on the Tanana River flood plain and Yukon-Tanana upland.
Pages 213-244 in proceedings of the N. Am. Moose Conf. and Workshop.
No. 15, Kenai, Alaska.

·Furbearers

It has been suggested that wildfire destroys the habitat of

furbearers, causing a decline in their numbers in Alaska (Robinson 1952,
.Sumner 1951). More recently Kelleyhouse (1978) and others have pointed
-0ut that fires have positive effects on some species, such as muskrat,
beaver, snowshoe hare, and weasel, but may have at least short-term
adverse effects on marten. No information is available in the northern
·1iterature for other important furbearers, such as fox, lynx, and wolf ..

SNOWSHOE HARE
The effects of fire on snowshoe hares have been studied by numerous
investigators (Grange 1965; Wolff 1977, 1978; Fox 1978; Keith and
surrendi 1971).

According to Wolff's studies in interior Alaska (1977, 1978),

during population lows, snowshoe hares prefer stands of dense black
spruce and willow-alder thickets. During population highs, they use
recently burned areas, but lack of cover makes the burns less desirable
than the unburned forest. In summer the hares' food consists mainly of
herbaceous plants and low shrubs, which are most abundant in open areas.
Recently burned sites with inclusions of unburned spruce should be
preferred habitat because of availability of food and cover. Wolff
(1977) stated that, "a patchy environment which provides refuges in
winter and more open summer range allows hares to shift seasonally in
response to a change in diet and generally take advantage of changing
environmental conditions."

In northcentral Alberta, Keith and Surrendi (1971) reported no

direct mortality of snowshoe hares due to fire, although pregnancy rates
and numbers of juveniles were reduced immediately after fire. In their

82
study, the authors found that hares abandoned severely burned areas, but
reoccupied them the second summer following the fire.

Although evidence suggests that available food supply sets upper

limits to hare populations, Grange (1965) and Fox (1978) have proposed
that the cyclic nature of hare populations also at least partially is
due to the relationship of fire to plant succession, which at some
stages potentially leads to an increase in snowshoe hares. Grange felt
that the chance for "population explosions," which characterize the
snowshoe hare cycle, was limited to very early stages in forest revege-
tation soon after a fire.

Fox. (1978) showed that there is a " .•• reasonable coincidence

between the Canadian lynx cycle and the occurrence of forest and brush
fires." He suggested that the vegetation sequence following fire leads
to an increase in snowshoe hares, resulting in the observed snowshoe
hare cycle in northern areas. He concluded that the snowshoe hare-lynx
cycle is a forced oscillation brought about by the cyclic nature of
forest fire frequencies, nrather than a predator-prey, parasite-host, or
herbivore-vegetation" cycle. Although this is an interesting hypothesis,
there are few-if any biological data to support it.

MARTEN
Lensink (1953) found that in interior Alaska the distribution of
marten was coincident with that of spruce, the critical element in
marten habitat. He pointed out that factors that control the extent and
distribution of spruce, such as physiography and fire, must be consid-
ered in a study of marten.

In the early 1950s, it was suggested (Lensink 1953, de Vos 1951)

that management of marten habitat required control of fires, because
burned areas and mixed or pure stands of trembling aspen and paper birch
were usually poor marten habitat. Koehler and Hornocker (1977), however,
reported that in Idaho, at least, periodic and incomplete burning crea-
ted a mosaic of discontinuous fuel types and openings that provided the
necessary food items for marten during the summer. In Alaska, British·
Columbia, and Idaho, marten utilized voles more than any other food
item.

According to Koehler and Hornocker (1977), marten use open meadows

and burned areas in the sWtmler and fall if they provide adequate cover
and food. They found that voles were abundant in mesic sites within
meadows and burned areas and that the marten did not require cover of
dense stands during the summer.

Although these studies show that marten require spruce forest, they
also suggest that fire may not be as destructive of marten habitat as
was once thought. Fire may create habitats that provide a food source,
at least during the summer. It appears that the immediate effects of

83
fire are detrimental to marten populations because of the destruction of
the spruce forest, but over a long time, fire may be beneficial and even
necessary for producing a mosaic of vegetation patterns optimum for
marten habitat. In Alask~, Lensink's findings should be reevaluated,
and additional investigations made of the relationship of fire to marten
habitat. Some of the recent large fires in previously good marten
habitat, such as the 1977 Bear Creek fire, should provide good oppor-
tunities for study.

LYNX
While no information is available on the direct interaction of fire
and lynx, the well-established snowshoe hare-lynx cycle (Keith 1963,
Bulmer 1974, Brand et al. 1976) indicates that what is good for the
snowshoe hare is good for the lynx. Thus, the evidence reported in the
snowshoe hare section of this report indicates that fire should have a
positive effect on lynx populations by increasing the supply of their
main food source, snowshoe hares.

While this is implied by Grange (1965) and Fox (1978), no biolo-

gical data are available to substantiate the hypothesis that fires are
beneficial to lynx populations. Information needs to be gathered on the
relationship of lynx populations to ages of the numerous large fire
areas in interior and southcentral Alaska.

MUSKRAT
No information is available on the effects of fire on muskrat in
Alaska. From farther south, however, it has been reported that muskrat
hunters burn marshes to encourage vegetation that produces most food for
muskrats (Errington 1963, Davis 1959, Kayll 1968). In many areas
marshes may be maintained by periodic fires (Errington 1963). Klein
(1971) observed that productivity of some marshes in Alaska seems to be
maintained by periodic flooding and fires,· but he also points out the
need for data to back up this general observation.

In relation to both muskrat and waterfowl, we need to know far more

about the frequency of fires in marsh areas, the effects of burning on
productivity, and the maintenance of marshes by fireo

BEAVER
Fire is beneficial to beaver because it produces favorable environ-
mental conditions for them. Beaver are adapted to early stages of
forest succession and therefore, are especially abundant in areas
recently burned or logged (Hakala 1952, Patric and Webb 1953, Lawrence
1954, Neff 1955).

According to Lawrence (1954), "in Michigan beaver follow the aspen,

84
becoming abundant following disturbances and fthen] persist until their
cutting activities and the course of plant succession again produce
unfavorable conditions." The same is true in some parts of Colorado
(Neff 1955).

Patric and Webb (1953) listed postfire types which include aspen
and willow as important for beaver. Hakala's (1952) description of bea-
ver habitat in the Goldstream Creek and Chatanika River area of Alaska
mentioned abundant poplar and birch after fire in a spruce forest.
Murray (1961) stated that after fire in spruce stands in the upper
Tanana River area, Alaska, the increase of aspen and cottonwood created
favorable habitat for beaver.

SELECTED REFERENCES on
EFFECTS of FIRE on FURBEARERS
Davis, K. P. 1959. Forest fire: control and use. McGraw-Hill Book
Co. Inc., New York. 584 pp.

de Vos, A. 1951. Recent findings in fisher and marten ecology and

management. Trans. 16th N. Amer. Wildl. Conf. 16:498-505.
Dodds, D. G. 1960. Food competition and range relationships of moose
and snow~hoe hare in Newfoundland. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 24:52-60.

Errington, P. L. 1963. Muskrat populations. Iowa State Univ. Press,

Ames. 665 pp.

Fox, J. F. 1978. Forest fires and the snowshoe hare-Canada lynx cycle.
Oecologia 31:349-374.
Grange, w. 1965. Fire and tree growth relationships to snowshoe
rabbits. Proc. Ann. Tall Timbers Fire Ecol. Conf. 4:111-125.

Hakala, J.·B. 1952. The life history and general ecology· of the
beaver in interior Alaska. M.S. Thesis. Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks.

Hansen, H. L., L. W. Kreftig, and V. Kurmis. 1973. The forest of Isle

Royal in relation to fire history and wildlife. Agricultural Exp.
Stn., Univ. Minnesota. Tech. Bull. 294. Forestry Series 13. 43 pp.

Keith, L.B., and D. C. Surrendi. 1971. Effects of fire on a snowshoe

hare population. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 35:16-26.

Kelleyhouse, D. G. 1978. Fire-wildlife relationships in Alaska.

Unpublished paper, presented at BLM Fire Advisor's workshop. March
1978. Fairbanks, Alaska. Alaska Dept. Fish and Game.

85
Koehler, Go M., and M. G. Hornocker. 1977. Fire effects on marten
habitat in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. J. Wild. Mgmt.
41:500-505.

Lawrence, W. H. 1954. Michigan beaver populations as influenced by

fire and logging. Ph.D. Thesis. Univ. Michigan. Ann Arbor. 219 pp.
Univ. Microfilms. Int. Ann Arbor.

Lensink, c. J. 1953. Yukon Flats breeding ground survey--summer 1953.

Pages 11-24 inc. J. Lensink. Migratory waterfowl studies. Alaska
.·Game Commission, Fed. Aid in Wildl. Rest. W-3-R-8 Vol. 8, No. l.
-Wildl. Investigations of Alaska, Quat. Progr. Rept. Surveys and
Investigations. Juneau. 52 pp.

Murray, D. F. 1961. Some factors affecting the production and harvest

of beaver in the Upper Tanana River, Alaska. M.S. Thesis. Univ.
Alaska, Fairbanks.

Neff, .n. J. 1955. Relationships of fire and forest succession to

.beaver environment on Roaring Fork Creek, Estes Park, Colorado.
Col.or.ado Coop. Wildl • Res. Unit, Fort Collins. 35 pp.

Patric, ·E. F., and w. L. Webb. 1953. A preliminary report on intensive

beaver management. Trans. 18th N. Amer. Wildl. Conf. 18:533-539.
Wolff, J. o. 1977. Habitat utilization of snowshoe hares (Lepus
americanus) in interior Alaska. Ph.D. Thesis. Univ. Calif. Berkeley.
150 pp.

Small Mammals

Few studies have been made of effects of fire·on small mannnals in

Alaska. Long-term effects are particularly difficult to predict without
£urther study because of individual site and fire differences and
changes in the vegetation composition with time.

Hakala et al. (1971) discussed innnediate effects of a fire that

occurred in 1969 on the Kenai National Moose Range in southcentral
Alaska. They noted that although fire probably took its toll of small
animals, including red squirrels, shrews, and voles, it probably didn't
cause much direct loss of life.

MICRO TINES
Ellison, working in the same area (Kenai National Moose Range)
immediately after the 1969 fire, found dead voles in the smoldering
ashes. A year after the fire, however, he found that the number of

86
voles seemed to be nearly equal inside and outside the burn, although
the number of shrews may have been fewer in parts of the burn
(Hakala et al. 1971). West's studies (West 1979b, 1977) suggest that
red-backed voles(Clethrionomgs rutilus) used the Wickersham Dome fire
area the first postfire growing season, but that they did not overwinter
on the burned area until the fourth year after the fire. Tundra voles
(Microtus oeconomus) were not found in recently burned areas, but West
predicted they can be expected to reach peak density 6 to 14 years after
fire, depending on plant succession.
In another study on the Kenai Peninsula, Quinlan (1978b) found that
habitat changes caused by fire apparently reduced the suitability of the
site for small mammals. Buech et al. (1977) reached similar conclu~
sions in northeastern Minnesota. In five study sites, each in different
successional stages of white spruce forest, Quinlan found fewer mammals
of all species in burned areas than in mature forest. In the Kenai Penin-
sula study, red-backed voles (Clethrionomys rutilus) and dusky shrews
(Sorex obscurus) reinvaded burned areas and reached densities similar to
or greater than those found in mature forest 20 years after fire. This
is contrary to West's findings in interior Alaska. Quinlan reported
tundra voles were found only in the 40- to 50- and the 150- to 200-year-
old stands.

Research in other parts of the United States shows higher numbers

of small mammals on burned areas than in virgin forest, often as early
as the first year after the fire (Sims and Buckner 1973, Krefting and
Ahlgren 1974, Ahlgren 1966b). In these areas, fire-created habitat and
food conditions are favorable to the increase of seed-eating mice species
such as the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus).

GROUND SQUIRRELS
The possibility of a relationship between forest fires and ground
squirrel color in Alaska was explored by Guthrie (1967). He suggested
that the arctic ground squirrel found in the Yukon Flats area has darker
fur or melanism because the darker individual is favored over the
lighter individual when the squirrels invade burned-over areas. Guthrie
feels that it is more than a coincidence that the Yukon Flats area,
which is particularly susceptible to fire, has the highest density in
Alaska of melanistic squirrels.

Citellus undulatus osgoodi, a large ground squirrel inhabiting the

Yukon Flats basin, relies on several plants for food. Guthrie thinks
that fire encourages growth of plants that ground squirrels eat, but
that nonmelanistic squirrels are more susceptible to predation. Thereby,
melanistic squirrel survival is favored in burned areas. He concludes
that melanism in ground squirrels of the Yukon Flats appears to be a
polymorphic adaptation that permits the squirrel to take advantage of a
favorable environmental situation. Guthrie's paper is the only refer-

87
ence suggesting that changes in mannnal pelage might be associated with
burned forest, and that this adaptation might be significant in survival
of a species whose food is increased when vegetation succession is
altered by burning.

RED SQUIRRELS
Surprisingly, no information is available on the effects of fire on
red squirrel populations in Alaska and adjacent Canada. Because
squirrels are dependent on spruce cones for much of their food (Brink
and Dean 1966, Smith 1968), it is assumed that burned areas do not
provide good squirrel habitat until the spruce become reestablished and
begin to produce cones. General observations suggest this would be 30
or 40 years following a fire in the black spruce type and considerably
longer in the white spruce types. In typical fire patterns, however,
small stands of spruce frequently remain unburned. If these are large
enough, they may support small squirrel populations until the burned
areas begin to produce adequate cones.

Since red squirrels are included in the diet of marten, the effects
of fire on squirrel populations in Alaska are important. If.squirrel
densities in known-aged burns are established, we can determine the
amount of time needed to reestablish red squirrel populations.

SELECTED REFERENCES on
EFFECTS of FIRE on SMALL MAMMALS

Ahlgren, C. E. 1966b. Small manunals and reforestation following

prescribed burning. J. Forest. 64(9) :614-618.

Brink, c. H., and F. c. Dean. 1966. Spruce seed as a food of red

squirrels and flying squirrels in interior Alaska. J. Wildl. Mgmt.
30(3) :503-512.

Buech, R.R., K. Siderits, R. E. Radtke, H. L. Sheldon, and D. Elsing.

1977. Small mammal populations after a wildfire in northeast
Minnesota. USDA For. Serv., N. Cent. For. Exp. Stn., st. Paul,
Minnesota. Res. Pap. NC-151. 8 pp.

Hakala, J.B., R. K. Seemel, R. A. Richey, and J.E. Kurtz. 1971.

Fire effects and rehabilitation methods--Swanson-Russian Rivers fires
Pages 87-99 in C. W. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds.
Fir~ in the northern environment. Prooeedinas of a svmoosium
April 1971. Fairbanks. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W. For. &·Range
Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon.

88
Kelleyhouse, D. G. 1978. Fire-wildlife relationships in Alaska. Unpubl.
paper, presented at BLM Fire Advisor's Workshop. March 1978. Fairbanks,
Alaska. Alaska Dept. Fish and Game.

Krefting, L. W., and c. E. Ahlgren. 1974. Small mammals and vegeta-

tion changes after fire in a mixed conifer-hardwood forest. Ecology
55:1391-1399.

Quinlan, s. E. 1978b. Species composition and relative densities of

small manunal populations and white spruce succession on the Kenai
Peninsula. Pages 1-21 in USDA For. Serv., Chugach Natl. For., Fire
Related Wildlife Studies on the Kenai Peninsula. Unpubl. rept.

Sims, H.P., and C.H. Buckner. 1973. The effect of clear cuttinq and
bu~ning of Pinus banksiana forests on the populations of small mam-
mals in southeastern Manitoba. Amer. Midl. Naturalist90(1) :229-231.

Smith, M. C. 1968. Red squirrel responses to spruce cone failure in

interior Alaska. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 32(2):305-316.
Viereck, L.A., and c. T. Dyrness, eds. 1979. Ecological effects of
the Wickersham Dome fire near Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv.,
Pacific N.W. For. & Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon. Gen. Tech.
Rept. PNW-90. 71 PP•

west, s. D. 1977. Midwinter aggregation in the northern red-backed

vole, Clethrionomys rutilus. Can. J. Zool. 55:1404-1409.

1979b. Habitat responses of microtine rodents to central

Alaskan forest succession. Ph.D. Thesis. Univ. California. Berkeley.
115 pp.

Birds

Little information is available on the effects of fire on bird

populations in the North. In Alaska, Kelleyhouse (1978) reviewed the
effects of fire on wildlife, including birds~

Two studies from the Kenai Peninsula (Quinlan 1978a, Ellison 1975)
followed changes in bird communities after fire. Quinlan's research
(1978) focused on bird communities in white spruce forests of the
Chugach National Forest, and Ellison (1975). studied densities of Alaskan
spruce grouse before and after fire. In addition, some of the south-
eastern Alaskan research conducted in logged areas may be applicable
(Kessler and Harrington 1979). Otherwise, we are dependent on scattered
reports for infonnation. In Kozlowski and Ahlgren (1974), Bendell

89
pointed out that the wide variation in bird response that occurs after
fires makes it difficult to generalize about fire ecology. Since the
environment is changed in many ways after fire, it is difficult to
pinpoint cause and effect relationships between the action of fire and
the response of birds to it. Many experts feel each fire should be
considered as a separate case, because sufficient data are not available
to generalize about the fire effects on individual species (Bendell
1974).

Certain immediate responses to fire are predictable. Fires change

bird habitat, disrupt nestings, and kill unfledged young birds. Most
studies show fluctuations in the density and abundance of birds immedi-
ately following fire. Reactions of individual birds, however, depends
on their attachment to their individual home range, mobility, and
ability to find cover.

The major long-term effect of fires on birds involves changes in

the vegetation. Plant succession may be different after each fire,
because fires occur in different age stands and under different site
conditions in the same area. And it is because of these site differences
that a wide variety of bird life can be found in fire areas.

GAME BIRDS
Many investigators have commented on the effects of fire on
gallinaceous birds and waterfowl.

Spruce Grouse
Following the severe 1969 Swanson River fire on the Kenai Peninsula,
Ellison (1975) found that the subsequent spring breeding population of
spruce grouse in the area was reduced by 60 percent. The population
decline varied with the extent, severity, and patchiness of the fire.

Fires are not wholly detrimental to spruce grouse habitat, however.

The absence of fire might cause white spruce, the preferred habitat of
spruce grouse, to be replaced by open black spruce. Since fire retards
permafrost development by setting back vegetation succession, fire may
be necessary to maintain grouse habitats.

-Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed grouse prefer aspen forest. Many investigators (Weeden
1965; Sharp 1963, 1971; Rusch and Keith 1971) have found that ruffed
grouse flourish when their habitats are subject to periodic fires.

Light fires remove undesirable plant wastes, rejuvenate key food

plants, and help control plant disease. A severe fire may have an

90
immediate detrimental effect on ruffed grouse habitat. A population of
ruffed grouse in Alberta (Doerr et al. 1971) was reduced by half the
first and second springs following a fire, but returned to near normal
after 2 years.

Sharptailed Grouse
Sharptailed grouse thrive in recently burned areas. According to
Weeden (1965), in interior Alaska sharptailed grouse are likely to be
the first species of upland game birds to occupy a recent burn. They
remain as long as an "open" vegetation type persists.

Ptarmigan
According to Weeden (1965), fires that result in replacement of
mature, dense forest by shrubby growth probably benefit willow ptarmigan.
Those resulting in permanent grasslands or reseeding directly to coni-
fers may be of no advantage.
Godfrey (1972) reported that willow ptarmigan and rock ptarmigan
regularly migrate into the boreal forest in winter and feed upon willow
and birch buds. They confine their activities to forest edges and to·
the young shrubby plants that succeed following fire. In interior
Alaska wtllow ptarmigan have been frequently observed feeding on the
winter buds of willows that came back abundantly after the 1971
Wickersham Dome fire.

Waterfowl
In some regions waterfowl are dependent on periodic fires to
maintain their habitat. In many areas, prescribed burning has been
used to keep habitat open for them. In Alaska, however, Komarek's
comments (1971) still are true: "No investigations of any serious nature
have been made on the effect of fires upon habitats of the waterfowl
that frequent interior Alaska." -

Lensink (1953), working in the Yukon Flats area of Alaska, said

that numerous fires had reduced "vast areas to a seral stage consis.ting
primarily of willow. This stage is perhaps more beneficial to waterfowl
than the climax." Klein (1971) stated that productivity of several
major waterfowl areas in interior Alaska seems to be maintained by
periodic floodings and fire. No studies have been conducted, however,
to determine if productivity in breeding areas actually is increased by
fire.

Buckley (1958) considered that fire might have both positive and
negative effects on waterfowl habitat in Alaska. He postulated that the
water table might be lowered following fire and that this would reduce
waterfowl habitat. He suggested that on the other hand, removal of

91
 Table 1. Summary of the species benefitting from and adversely affected by habitat changes caused
by wildfire. Alternative habitat listings indicate other habitats in which the species are known.
Assignments were made on the basis of the investigator's observations in the Kenai Lake area and in-
formation given in Gabrielson and Lincoln (1958), Williamson and Peyton (1962), Isleib and Kessel
(1963), Spindler (1975), and Noble (1977). Alternative habitats are as follows: 1) Any early suc-
cessional stage caused by avalanches, powerlines, logging, wildfire, earthquakes, other; 2) marsh or
lake margins; 3) flood plains; 4) stream margins; 5) subalpine meadows and alder patches; 6) seral
birch or aspen stands; 7) mature black spruce forest; B) mature Sitka spruce forest; 9) mature for-
est in parklike stand.*

Species benefitting from wildfire Alternative Species adversely affected Alternative

Habitats b wildfire Habitats

Breed only Common Flicker 3,9 Breed only Gray Jay 6,7,8,9
in burned Alder Flycatcher 1,2,4,5,6, in mature Black-capped Chickadee 6,8,9
areas Tree Swallow 3,4, forest Boreal Chickadee 6,7,8,9
Savannah Sparrow 1,2,3,5, Varied Thrush 6,8,9
(0 White-crowne~ Sparrow 1,5,7,9, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6,7,8,9
N
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1,5,7,9 Golden-crowned Kinglet 8
Yellow-rumped Warbler 6,7,8,9
Breed at Orange-crowned Warbler 1,2,4,6,9, Townsend's Warbler 7,8,9
highest den- Dark-eyed Junco 1~2,3,6,7 Pine Siskin 7,8,9
sities in White-winged Crossbill 8
burned areas
Breed at Spruce Grouse 6,8
Edge Hairy Woodpecker 3,9 highest Brown Creeper s
species Olive-sided Flycatcher 2,4,6,7,9 densities Swainson's Thrush 6,8,9
Western Wood Peewee 2,4,6,9 in mature
Bohemian Waxwing 7,8,9 forest

*From Quinlan, s. E. 1978a. Bird communities and white spruce succession on the Kenai Peninsula.
Pages 1-34 in USDA For. serv., Chugach Natl. For., Seward, Alaska. Fire related·wildlife studies
on the Kenai Peninsula. Unpublished rept.
woody vegetation by fire would increase the attractiveness of the area
to waterfowl species. He attributed an increase in the waterfowl
population from 8.1 to 12.8 birds/km 2 in a 1957 Selawick burn to new
plant growth that, because of the fire, started 2 weeks earlier than
usual. He felt that the additional 2-weeks nesting time might have
increased survival significantly.

OTHER BIRDS
Studies by Bock and Lynch (1970) and the Alaska Cooperative Wildlife
Research Unit (1963) suggest that a few years after a fire, the avifauna
often is more diverse on the burned plots than in the neighboring un-
burned areas. This is probably because small unburned pockets left in
the burned areas create diverse habitats for birds.

In studies of successional stages of white spruce forest following

fire on the Kenai Peninsula, Quinlan (1978a) found that number and
diversity of birds increased with succession from the 9-year-old forest
to the 100-year-old forest. In the forest older than 100 years, that
diversity began to decrease.

Major changes in bird succession are associated with plant

succession in white spruce forests of the Kenai. Since each bird
species requires a unique set of habitat features, each reacts differ-
ently to habitat changes.

On the basis of the information Quinlan collected, some generali-

zation can be made about the effects of wildfire on the populations of
breeding bird species in the area. In Table 1, from Quinlan's report,
the species which benefit or are adversely affected by fires are
categorized.

SUMM-ARY
Fires have various effects on bird populations, but little is
known about these effects. Some species seek out burned areas for food
or breeding purposes. Others, such as birds of the climax forests, may
be adversely affected for awhile but may require infrequent fires for
the continuation or renewal of their habitat •. Few studies in northern
areas directly show changes in bird populations following fire. Most
conclusions are derived from speculation on how bird populations might
be affected by vegetation changes.

An important question that has received little attention in Alaska

is how wildfire in the extensive waterfowl breeding areas such as the
Yukon Flats may affect the productivity of aquatic plants,·and how this,
in turn, might affect the breeding and rearing success of waterfowl.

Little is known about bird diversity in burned areas compared with

93
that in unburned forests. We need more information on all aspects of
the effects of wildfire on bird populations in both forested and tundra
areas.

SELECTED REFERENCES on
EFFECTS of FIRE on BIRDS
Alaska Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. 1963. Effects of fire on
Alaskan wildlife. Alaska Coop. Wildl. Res. Unit, Univ. of Alaska,
College [Fairbanks]. Quart. Prog. Rept. 14(3):1-29.

Bendell, J. F. 1974. Effects of fire on birds and mammals. Pages 73-

138 in T. T. Kozlowski and C. E. Ahlgren, eds. Fire and ecosystems.
Academic Press, New York ..

.Bock, c. E., and J. F. Lynch. 1970. Breeding bird populations of

burned and unburned conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada.
Condor 7.2:182-189.

Buckley, J. L. 1958 .. Effects of fire on Alaskan wildlife. Proc .. Soc.

"Amer. Foresters. Syracuse, New York. 58:123-126.

Doerr; P., L.B. Keith, and o. H. Rusch. 1971. Effects of fire on a

ruffed grouse population. Proceeding of the Ann. Tall Timbers Fire
Ecol. Conf. 10:25-46.

Ellison, L. N. 1975. Density of Alaskan spruce grouse before and after

fire. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 39:468-471.

Godfrey, w. E. 1972. The birds of Canada. Natl. Mus. Can. Bull. No ..

203. Biol. Ser. No. 73. 428 pp.

Kelleyhouse, D. G. 1978. Fire-wildlife relationships in Alaska.

Unpubl. paper, presented at BLM Fire Advisor's Workshop. March 1978.
Alaska Dept .. of Fish and Game.

Kessler, w. B., and P. Harrington. 1979. Nongame bird habitat require-

ments in the forested ecosystem of southeast Alaska. Abstr. Page
19 in Proceedings of the 30th Alaska Sci. Con£., Amer. Assoc. Adv.
Sci., Ak. Div., and Amer. Chem. Soc., Ak. Sec.

Klein, D.R. 1971. Fire and resources in the subarctic. Panel

discussion. Pages 255-256 inc. w. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and G.
M. Hansen, eds. Fire in the northern environment. Proceedings of a
symposium. April 1971. Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Pacific
N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon.

94
Komarek, E. V., Sr. 1971. A summation of "Fire in the northern environ-
ment" and a suggestion for a cooperative ecological experiment station.
Pages 257-265 inc. W. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds.
Fire in the northern enviromnent. Proceedings of a symposium. April
1971. Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W. For. and
Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon.

Lensink, C. J. 1953. Yukon Flats breeding ground survey--swnmer 1953.

Pages 11-24 inc. J. Lensink. Migratory waterfowl studies, Alaska
Game Commission, Fed. Aid in Wildl. Rest. W-3-R-8, Vol. 8, No. 1.
Wildlife investigations of Alaska, Quarterly Progr. Rept., Surveys
and Investigations, Juneau, Alaska. 52 pp.

Niemi, G. J. 1978. Breeding birds of burned and unburned areas in

nor~hern Minnesota. Loon 50:73-84.

Quinlan, s. E. 1978a. Bird cormnunities and white spruce succession on

the Kenai Peninsula. Pages 1-34 in USDA For. Serv., Chugach Natl.
For.,seward, Alaska. Fire related wildlife studies on the
Kenai Peninsula. Unpublished rept.
Rusch, D. H., and L.B. Keith. 1971. Ruffed grouse-vegetation relation-
ships in central Alberta. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 35:417-429.

Sharp, w. M. 1963. The effects of habitat manipulation and forest

succession on ruffed grouse. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 27:664-671.

1971. The role of fire in ruffed grouse habitat management.

Proceedings of the Ann. Tall Timbers Fire Ecol. Conf. 10:47-61.

Weeden, R. B. 1965. Grouse and ptarmigan in Alaska. Alaska Dept.

Fish and Game. Fed. Aid Wildl. Rest. Proj. Rept. Vol. v., Proj.
W-6-R, Work Plan I, Juneau, Alaska. 110 pp.

Aquatic Life

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Although considerable hydrological information is available, we

have little information on the effects of fire on aquatic life.
Tiedemann et al. ·(1979), however, recently reviewed North American
literature on this subject.

The only two Alaskan studies, Hakala et al. (1971) and Lotspeich
et al. (1970), are not very detailed. Lotspeich et al. (1970) investi-
gated water quality after a fire in the Fortymile area of interior

95
 Alaska and concluded that changes in the chemical makeup of the water
.due to fire were too small to affect the benthic macroinvertebrates
studied. They concluded that the effects of fire were less damaging
than the effects of firefighting activities. Erosion and siltation
from fireline construction and use of firefighting equipment can
adversely affect organisms. Lotspeich et al. (1979) suggested in their
report that erosion from heavy equipment use increased stream turbidity.
The .turbidity may have had minor effects on some organisms, but the
sampling scheme and methods used could not measure these effects if·
they were present.

Phosphate-base fire retardants can contribute to fish die-off or

eutrophication of small lakes (Kelsall et al. 1977, Lotspeich and
Mueller 1971). Hakala et al. (1971) discussed the possible effect of
. Phoschek fire retardant on fish kill in the Swanson River on the Kenai
Peninsula, Alaska, during the 1969 Swanson-Russian Rivers fires. Salmon
mortality was high along the lower 8 or 10 miles of the Swanson River
about the time the fire retardant was dropped, but salmon arriving 4
days later were not affected. Although water sample analysis gave no
po.sitive clues to what caused the fish kill, high carbonate levels were
present in the water •

.,. -SELECTED REFERENCES on

EFFECTS of FIRE on AQUATIC LIFE
Hakala, J.B., R. K. Seemel, R.. A. Richey, and J.E. Kurtz. 1971.
Fire effects and rehabilitation methods--Swanson-Russian Rivers fires.
Pages 87-99 inc. w. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds.
Proceedings of a symposium. Fire in the northern environment.
April 1971~ Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W. For.
and Range Exp. stn., Portland, Oregon.

Kelsall, J.P., E. s. Telfer, .and T. D. Wright. 1977. The effects of

fire on the ecology of the boreal forest, with particular reference
to the Canadian north: a review and selected bibliography. Can.
Wildl. Serv. Occas. Pap. No. 32. 58 pp.
Lotspeich, F. B., and E. w. Mueller. 1971. Effects of fire in the
taiga on the environment. Pages 45-50 in C. w. Slaughter, R. J 0

Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds. Proceedings of .a symposium. Fire in

the northern environment. April 1971. Fairbanks, Alaska. USDA For.
Serv., Pacific N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland, Oregon.
Lotspeich, F. B., E. w. Mueller, and P. J. Frey. 1970. Effects of
large-scale forest fires on water quality in interior Alaska. USDI,
Fed. Water Poll. Control Admin., Alaska Water Lab., College [Fairbanks],
Alaska. 115 pp.

96
Tiedemann, A. R., c. E. Conrad, J. H. Dietrich, J. w. Hornbeck, W. F.
Megahan, L.A. Viereck, and o. D. Wade. 1979. Effects of fire on
water. A state-of-knowledge review. National Fire Effects Workshop.
April 1978. Denver, Colorado. USDA For. Serv., Gen. Tech. Rept.
wo-10. 2a pp.

Terrestrial Invertebrates

AVAILABLE INFORMATION
Terrestrial invertebrate populations have not been investigated as
extensively as larger plant and animal populations because they have
not been considered as important economically. In Alaska, information_
on how fire affects invertebrates is limited. Therefore, generaliza-
tions based on available data are necessarily tentative.

The effects of a fire on invertebrate populations depend on many

factors, including intensity and duration of the fire, site character-
istics, and the nature of the organism in question. We know that adults
and eggs of many invertebrate species are killed by fire and that
habitat and food supplies of many others are destroyed. The influence
of fire on the spread and destruction of some insect pests and diseases,
particularly those that attack economically important tree species, can
be seen. It has been shown that for about 10 years following large
insect epidemics, such as that of the spruce budworm, there is a high
probability of large intense fires. This natural cycle is being changed,
however, by logging and fire suppression (Flieger 1971).

Although no conclusive Alaskan studies have been done on terrestrial

invertebrates, Beckwith and Werner (1979) sampled arthropod populations
on burned and unburned control plots of the Wickersham Dome fire area in
interior Alaska. They found a decrease in most arthropod populations in
burned areas along with an increase in spider populations. This decrease
was attributed to predation by spiders. Higher spider predation in
burned areas was linked to lack of protective ground vegetation for prey
species.

Empidid smoke flies, insects that are attracted to fires, have been
reported from Alaska (Evans 1972). These flies are important agents in
the wood breakdown process.

Ahlgren (1974) summarized the effects of fire on soil organisms.

He concluded that fire was more influential in forest than in grassland,
and with the exception of mesofauna species and spiders, the population
reductions after fire did not seem to be directly caused by heat. Soil
organisms were affected more by postfire changes in the environment.

97
SELECTED REFERENCES on
EFFECTS of FIRE on TERRESTRIAL INVERTEBRATES
Ahlgren, I. F. 1974. The effects of fire on soil organisms. Pages 47-
72 in T. T. Kozlowski and c. E. Ahlgren, eds. Fire and ecosystems.
Academic Press, New York.

Beckwith, R. c., and R. A. Werner. 1979. Effects_of fire on arthropod

distribution. Pages 53-55 in L.A._ Viereck and c. T. Dyrness, eds.·
Ecological effects of the Wickersham Dome fire near Fairbanks, A°Iaska.
USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn., Portland,
Oregon. Gen. Tech. Rept. PNW-90. 71 pp.

Evans, w. G. 1972. The attraction of insects to forest fires.

Proceedings of the Tall Timbers Conf. on Ecolog. Animal Control by
Habitat Mgmt. 3:115-127.

Flieger, B. w. 1971. Forest fire and insects: the relation of fir~ to

insect outbreak. Proceedings of _the Ann. Tall Timbers Fire Ecol. Conf.
10:107-114.
Lyon, L •. J., H. s. Crawford, E. Czuhai, R. L. Fredriksen, R. F. Harlow,
L. J. Metz, and H. A. Pearson. 1978. Effects of fire on fauna. A
state-of-knowledge review. National Fire Effects Workshop. Denver,
Colorado. April 1978. USDA For. Serv., Gen. Tech. Rept. W0-6.
22 pp.

Martin, R. E., D. D. Robinson, and w. H. Schaeffer. 1974. Fire in the

Pacific Northwest--perspectives and problems. Pages ~-23 in Proceed-
ings of the Ann. Tall Timbers Fire Ecol. Conf. 15 and Reprint by USDA
For. Serv. 23 pp.

Other Wildlife

In reviewing fire effects literature, we were unable to find much

information on the effects of fire on some of the larger taiga and
tundra wildlife species.

The black bear is wide ranging in the taiga of Alaska and adjacent
Canada, feeding on both plant and animal material. Hatler (1972) stu-
died the food habits of the black bear in interior Alaska and found
that in a good year, bluberries (Vaccinium uliginosum) made up nearly
50 percent of the bears' diet. He noted that recently burned areas
usually had good berry crops and that bears were often found feeding in
these areas in the fall. He felt that a mosaic of burned and unburned
forests was most suitable as bear habitat.

98
 We found no reference to the relationship between grizzly bears
and fire in Alaska. These larger bears tend to roam more in tundra
areas than in forested areas. They too utilize berries in their feed-
ing, however, and it is possible that fire in tundra and adjacent forest
areas might enhance their fall food supply.

Dall sheep inhabit alpine tundra areas but they occasionally range
into open grassland areas at treeline, especially during periods of
heavy winter snows or severe stonns. Geist (1971) observed that sheep
usually are not affected by fire but that some of the open grassland
areas in which they occasionally feed may be created and maintained by
fire.

We found no information on fire effects on wolves in Alaska.

Kelsall et al. (1977) and Kelleyhouse (1978) suggested, however, that
fires that create higher populations of moose would favor wolves,
whereas fires that reduce caribou range might cause local reductions in
wolf populations or cause wolves to shift from a caribou to a moose
diet, since the younger successional states are utilized more by moose
than by caribou (Scotter 1971b).

LITERATURE CITED

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problem. USDI, Bureau of Land Management, Div. of Fire Control,
Alaska State Office, Anchorage, Alaska. Mimeo. rapt. 18 pp.

Agee, J. ·K. 1973. Prescribed fire effects on physical and hydrologic

properties of mixed-conifer forest floor and soils. Contrib. Rept.
No. 143, Water Resour. Cent. _Univ. Calif. 57 pp.

Ahlgren, C. E. 1960. Some effects of fire on reproduction and growth

of vegetation in northeastern Minnesota. Ecology 41:431-445.

1966a. Ecological research in changing forests of wilderness

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1966b. Small manunals and reforestation following prescribed

burning J. Forest. 64(9):614-618.

Ahlgren, I. F. 1974. The effects of fire on soil organisms. Pages 47-

72 in T. T. Kozlowski and c. E. Ahlgren, eds. Fire and ecosystems.
Academic Press, New York.

99
Ahlgren, I. F., and c. E. Ahlgren. 1960. Ecological effects of forest
fires. Bot. Rev. 26:483-533.

Ahti, T. 1959. Studies of the caribou lichen stands of Newfoundland.

Ann. Bot. Soc./ Vanamo. 30(4):1-44.

Ahti, T., and R. L. Hepburn. 1967. Preliminary studies on woodland

caribou range, especially on lichen stands in Ontario. Dept. Lands
and Forests, Res. Branch, Res. Rept. (Wildlife) No. 74. 134 PP•,

Alaska Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. 1963. Effects of fire on

Alaskan wildlife. Alaska Coop. Wildl. Res. Unit, Univ. Alaska,
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Albini, F. A. ,1976. Estimating wildfire behavior and effects. USDA

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Anderson, J. H., and A. E. Belon. 1973. A new vegetation map of the

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Archibold, o. w. 1979. Buried viable propagules as a factor in post-

fire regeneration in northern Saskatchewan. Can. J. Bot. 57:54-58.

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Armson, K. A. 1969. The effects of forest fires on the physical and

chemical properties of soils in northwestern Ontario. Abstr. Ontario
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Arno, s. F. 1976. The historical role of fire on the Bitterroot

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Bailey, T. N. 1978. Moose populations on the Kenai National Moose

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Baker, J. o., Jr. 1975. A selected and annotated bibliography for

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Balbyshev, I. N. 1964. Comparative fire resistance of trees in the

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100
Banfield, A. w. F. 1954. Preliminary investigation of the barren
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Barney, R. J. 1969. Interior Alaska wildfires, 1956-1965. USDA For.

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1971. Selected 1966-69 interior Alaska wildfire statistics,

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Beckwith, R. c., and R. A. Werner. 1979. Effects of fire on arthropod

distribution. Pages 53-55 in L.A. Viereck and c. T. Dyrness, eds.
Ecological effects of the Wickersham Dome fire near Fairbanks, Alaska.
USDA For. Serv., Pacific N.W. For. and Range Exp. Stn. Portland,
Oregon. ·Gen. Tech. Rept. PNW-90. 71 pp.

Behan, M. J. No date. Fire ecology bibliography. Univ. Montana,

Missoula. Computerized bibliography, unp~lished.

Bendell, J. F. 1974. Effects of fire on birds and mammals. Pages 73-

138, in T. T. Kozlowski and c. E. Ahlgren, eds. Fire and ecosystems.
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Bergerud, A. T. 1971. Abundance of forage on the winter range of

Newfoundland caribou. Can. Field-Naturalist 85:39-52.

1974. Decline of caribou in North America following

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Bishop, R.H., and R. A. Rausch. 1974. Moose population fluctuations

in Alaska, 1950-1972. Naturaliste Can. 101:559-593.

101
Black, R. A., and L. C. Bliss. 1978. Recovery sequence of Picea
mariana-Vaccinium uliginosum forests after burning near Inuvik,
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Bliss L. c., ed. 1973. Botanical studies of natural and man-modified

habitats in the Mackenzie Valley, Eastern Mackenzie Delta Region and
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on N. Oil Develop. Rept. No. 73-43. 162 pp.

Bliss, L. c., and R. w. Wein. 1971. Changes in the active layer cau$ed
by surface disturbance. Pages 37-47 in R. J.E. Brown, ed. Proceed-
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Bock, C. E., and J. F. Lynch. 1970. Breeding bird populations of burned

and unburned conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada. Condor 72:182-189.

Bolstad, R. 1971. Catline rehabilitation and restoration. Pages 107-

116 inc. w. Slaughter, R. J. Barney, and G. M. Hansen, eds. Fire in
the northern environment. Proceedings of a symposium. April 1971.
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Braathe, P. 1974. Prescribed burning in Norway--effects on soil and

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Please Note: Use of commercial names does not constitute an endorsement

by the Bureau of Land Management or the u.s. Department of
the Interior.

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