Modern fire suppression has the potential to alter the natural distribution of forest cover types and age classes, which has consequences for resource management. A 21,000 ha prescribed burn to enhance wildlife habitat and secondarily reduce continuity of coniferous fuels was conducted in 1998 in the boreal forest of eastern interior Alaska. Our objectives within the burned area were >50% mortality of trees and spatially-varying burn severity to promote regeneration of deciduous trees and shrubs by root or crown sprouting and by seed germination on mineral soil. After no precipitation the previous 8 days, aerial firing with incendiary plastic spheres was accomplished within prescription parameters on 21 July (observations: relative [...]
