FAIRBANKS – The Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) awarded three contracts for Type 2 wildland firefighting hand crews based in rural northeastern and Interior Alaska villages for the 2020 fire season. The contractors selected will base crews in the Upper Yukon and Tanana Fire Management Zones for quick response to fires within BLM AFS protection areas. […]
Across much of Alaska, permafrost is thawing. In most locations of interior and south Alaska, what permafrost exists is protected by the ecosystems around it. Trees, moss and peat shade the ground from summer heat and help slow thaw. At the same time, scientists predict that wildfire seasons in Alaska will increase in duration and […]
Releases individual and public assistance for lost homes, personal belongings and public infrastructure (Palmer) – Governor Michael J. Dunleavy Friday issued a Disaster Declaration for the Matanuska Susitna Borough and Kenai Peninsula Borough for impacts from the McKinley, Deshka Landing, and Swan Lake wildfires. The wildfires have damaged or destroyed an estimated 83 […]
(WILLOW) – Alaska’s unusually volatile and prolonged wildfire season this year has extended into hunting season, creating challenges for firefighting crews and hunters alike. Of particular concern are popular game management units along the highway system between Homer and Talkeetna where several wildfires are currently burning even as moose hunting seasons open. “With general-hunt […]