Boreal Forests in Alaska Becoming More Flammable; NSF-Funded
Researchers Are Looking Into Whether Climate Is a Factor
Scientists are looking to the past to help project what may
happen in the future
A 2,000-square-kilometer zone in the Yukon Flats of interior
Alaska--one of the most flammable high-latitude regions of the world--has seen
a dramatic increase in both the frequency and severity of fires in recent
decades, according to research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Wildfire activity in this area is higher than at any other
time in the past 10,000 years, the researchers report.