Frostfire is an experimental prescribed fire of about 2,000 acres on a research area 25 miles north of Fairbanks. The hydrology, climate and ecosystem of this watershed has been studied since 1969. A prescribed fire is a continuation of research in the area to better understand how boreal, or northern, forests respond and recover from fire. Boreal forests make up about one-third of the world's carbon supply. Some 62,500 acres have been approved for prescribed burns by the Bureau of Land Management throughout Alaska this summer.
Prescribed fires reduce wildland fire risks and improve wildlife habitat.
The fire will not be lit unless conditions are within prescribed limits. More than 100 firefighters will be on hand and a fire break will completely surround the prescribed burn. One of the research groups involved in Frostfire will be measuring the burnable material on the forest floor, in the shrubs and in the trees before and after the fire to gather information about the carbon added to the atmosphere. Measurements taken during the fire will also provide information on fire behavior, such as intensity and rate of spread. The information collected will be added to computer models to more accurately predict the spread of wildfires.