 Smokey Season |
Smokey Season |
December 5, 2011Arcticulates ®Focusing on Alaska's BeautyAuthor: K. FieldsSmokey SeasonWildfires here in Alaska are a very common experience every summer, which we jokingly call 'Smokey Season' because smoke fills the air during the beginning of summer till late summer or fall. It's just a part of living in Alaska that we have all grown accustomed to… so much so that we make jokes about needing our annual dose of wildfire smoke or it just doesn't feel like summer. Wildfire in Alaska
Alaska's fire season is from April 1st to August 31st. Just last year Alaska's wildfire officials declared that the month of May was unprecedented with fire activity. We had 95 active wildfires burning, and the lightening strikes by the thousands were not helping. 1,467 firefighters, which included around 900 from other States, were manning 13 of the fires, other fires were burning unchecked because of lack of man-power and/or remote locations. Billows of Wildfire Smoke
Wildland Fire management in Alaska is an interagency effort. The three agencies are: Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service (AFS) State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources Division of forestry (DOF) US Forest Service (USFS) Plane Dumping Fire-Retardent Chemicals
Fire is a natural force in Alaska, it rejuvenates the earth; it burns off some of the insulating organic matter, things like...leaves, Spruce needles, dead grasses and trees etc… which once removed the ground soil can warm up. Plus the ashes from the burned organic material helps add nutrients to the soil, and aids in faster decomposition. If there's no fire activity, then the organic matter will accumulate, permafrost table will rise, and eco-system productivity falls. So fire can be pretty critical in maintaining the viability of cold dominated eco-system, which can be said…is a large portion of Alaska Raging Wildfire in Alaska
Alaska's Wildland Fire Management face difficult decisions when faced with a raging wildfire, because of the 'benefits' I just mentioned and the 'negatives' for example...endangering human life, and destruction of private property. Each fire poses different scenarios in how to go about extinguishing them, by using the 'control', 'contain' and 'confine' strategy, for which this quote is so fitting: "In order to be ready when needed, you must also be ready when not needed"… author unknown. Black Spruce Engulfed in Flames
There are some Wildfires that are located quite a distance away from people and private property (located in areas that in order to gain access, you have to use a boat or plane) that are carefully watched, but allowed to burn out by themselves, because of the environmental benefits mentioned above. Any Wildfires located near people are automatically considered high priority and critical protection suppression is put into effect, to as little acreage as possible, this would include areas that have uninhabited private property, high value natural resources, and cultural/historical sites. Smoke Plumes from a Distance
Here are a few more links if you are interested in reading more on Wildfires in Alaska: Link for Alaska Wildfire information: Alaska Wildfire Information Link to an awesome list of Fire terms - glossary: List of Fire Terms While this thought may seem strange to some of my readers...but as I am sitting here looking at 2 feet of new snow...with -40'F (below freezing) in the temp not so long ago, and now 40'F (above freezing) with a slushy melting, icy mess everywhere, it's causing me to anxiously and/or even fondly want to see the 'Smokey Season' sooner this year. Later... K Fields See Also: Forty Below!
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