Tongass National Forest

Timber Stand Improvement

Burning

Fire does not appear to be part of the natural ecosystem in Southeast Alaska. An experimental prescribed burning program was in progress on the Tongass for about 10 years during the 1980s. An assortment of burns were completed on several different islands including POW.

Burns were prescribed after clear-cut harvest. Objectives usually included reducing slash (logging debris) to improve wildlife habitat and reduce future thinning costs.

The program was abandoned for several reasons, including:

1. The high costs of maintaining an appropriate fire organization.
2. The weather of Southeast Alaska that only allows for a very small burning window.
3. The possibility of removing too many nutrients existing in the organic layer of the shallow soils of Southeast.
4. The cost of quickly implementing a burn on remote islands.

Many burns were planted and are being monitored.