FY2004 Research Products
Boreal forest control initiative (BEFCI) system: Fairbanks, Alaska
- PI: Dr. Masami Fukuda
- Project title: Boreal Forest Fire Control Initiative (BFFCI) System and Ground Observation in Fairbanks, Alaska
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| Figure 4. Boreal wildfire near Fairbanks, Alaska. | Figure 5. The Boundary Fire as seen from the Steese Highway north of Fairbanks, Alaska. |
A large forest fire, "Boundary Fire," started northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, on June 21, 2004 by lightning. Project team member Dr. Kimura, who was in Fairbanks, observed the Boundary Fire along the Steese Highway. Dense smoke could be seen from a hilltop (Fig. 5). The Boundary Fire spread quickly and persisted into late June due to exceptional hot and dry weather conditions. Due to the high potential for loss of life, the Alaska and U.S. Forest Services ordered evacuations of residents in affected areas. Picture of the Boundary Fire taken by Kushida on July 1, 2004 illustrates propagation of ground fire to crown fire (Fig. 6). The sky of Fairbanks was covered with thick smoke from the Boundary Fire, and tinted orange in daytime (Fig. 7). As of July 30, 2004, the Boundary Fire had burned over 2037 km2 and only 30% contained.
The IARC is the main base of the BFFCI system and the front line of our research.
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| Figure 6. An image of crown fire near Fairbanks, Alaska. | Figure 7. An image of the daytime sky near Fairbanks, Alaska, tinted orange from the heavy wildfire smoke, summer, 2004. |
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