NPS Alaska FFI Fire Effects Monitoring Data (2004–2024)

Fire effects and fuels monitoring data were collected across National Park Service units in Alaska between 2004 and 2024 by NPS fire ecologists and Alaska fire management crews. These data were originally maintained in two separate FFI databases—NPS Alaska Eastern and Coastal Area FFI Fire and Fuels Monitoring Data and NPS Alaska Western Area FFI Fire and Fuels Monitoring Data—and have since been consolidated into a single statewide database, Alaska. Data are organized by park unit and project within FFI.

Monitoring was conducted during spring and summer field seasons. Current fire effects and fuels monitoring in Alaska uses standardized circular plot designs for both wildfire effects and fuels treatment monitoring. Monitoring protocols have evolved over time but are consistently grounded in NPS Fire Monitoring Handbook (FM-18) guidance and Alaska Interagency Fire Effects Task Group (FETG) standards. Most plots consist of 4-m or 8-m radius circular plots centered on a permanently marked plot center, typically identified with wooden stakes or rebar. A 16-m transect oriented north–south is used to support multiple plot-level measurements.

Standard plot data collection may include: Point-intercept sampling to quantify vegetation and ground cover; Shrub density measurements; Tree density and structure, including species and diameter size classes; Burn severity observations at the plot and subplot scale; Active layer (ground thaw) depth measurements; Downed woody fuel loading using Brown’s planar intercept methods; General site descriptions and repeat photo documentation. Protocols applied per project vary by project based on fire management and scientific goals.

Earlier wildfire effects monitoring efforts used belt transects and alternative plot configurations; these methods are retained in the database for historical continuity but are no longer standard. When non-standard or project-specific methodologies were applied, they are documented at the project level within FFI.