Highlights plus less visited destinations. (35-200 year frequency, stand-replacement) is based on expert opinion. It prefers abundant moisture. Leaf litter dries out earlier in deciduous than in conifer forests, so the fire season may be longer in quaking aspen and balsam poplar than in spruce forests [93]. Climate was drier and fires more frequent during that time (10,700-8,500 BP; MFRI*=77 years) than during the early Pleistocene (13,000 BP; MFRI=138 years), when the site was a tundra grassland [2]. (POP-yu-lus trem-yu-low-EYE-deez) Names: Quaking Aspen is sometimes called Trembling Aspen. successionally in the absence of frequent fire [, Western North American boreal mesic birch-aspen forest, Western North American boreal subalpine balsam poplar-aspen woodland, Western North American boreal dry aspen steppe bluff - lower elevations, Western North American boreal dry aspen steppe bluff - higher elevations. Balsam poplar: Third-order streamside communities are missing from the Biophysical descriptions and models of white spruce-balsam poplar floodplain types. Balsam poplar-quaking aspen communities occupy warm upper slopes; they may extend up to elevational treeline in western boreal Alaska [61]. LANDFIRE assigns low- [60] and high-elevation [59] boreal dry aspen-steppe bluff communities to Fire Regime Group III (35-200 years, mixed severity) based on expert opinion; the literature can provide no refinement of this estimate. White spruce dominates the overstory around postdisturbance year 120 to 150 [97]. Fire regimes of quaking aspen communities of Alaska were not well documented as of 2014. As of 2014, there were few fire studies of quaking aspen and balsam poplar communities in Alaska. On the North Slope, for example, balsam poplars were 100 to 250 years old [25]. Infrequent fire in the Davidson Mountains—despite high total tree cover and high proportion of conifers to deciduous trees (spruces:quaking aspen and paper birch)—was attributed to infrequent lightning activity. The combination of more frequent fires and a warming climate may favor quaking aspen, balsam poplar, paper birch, and other birches, allowing these deciduous trees to establish on boreal sites that were formerly dominated by spruces [8,46,56,64,99]. This unique name derives from the motion of the leaves on this deciduous beauty. The quaking aspen grows from Maine to Alaska and in many portions of the American West. It occurs at low elevations as far south as northern Nebraska and central Indiana. Balsam poplar: On a site near the Wrangell Mountains of southeastern Alaska, humans have been the main source of ignitions since 1951. or absent. Modeled fire intervals and severities for Alaskan balsam poplar and quaking aspen-balsam communities [, Figure 2. Balsam poplar stands grow on thin, nonpermafrost soils or on soils with a deep active layer [16,94]. From 1956 to 1965, 21% of wildfires statewide were in deciduous-conifer forests, 36% percent were in conifer forests, and 29% were in tundra [4]. Barrett and others [6] predicted that in interior Alaska, sites with <1 inch (3 cm) of organic soil remaining will succeed to quaking aspen-paper birch stands and lack permafrost. Stand-replacement fire is most likely late in riparian succession, when white spruce is replacing or has replaced balsam poplar [97]. However, evapotranspiration rates are 50% to 80% higher in deciduous forests than in conifer forests [14]. Wildfire is the dominant disturbance in Alaskan taiga [44]. western North American boreal subalpine balsam poplar-aspen woodland. fire history data. Balsam poplar may codominate. Within the fire's 2,590-acre (1,050 ha)) perimeter, black spruce dominated most of the landscape that burned: About 1,100 acres (430 ha) of black spruce/feather moss on north-facing slopes underlain with permafrost experienced stand-replacement crown fire [15]. Posts: 3. LIMITATIONS OF INFORMATION It is common The landscape was a black spruce/feather moss and quaking aspen-paper birch mosaic. Most fires (87%) were <300 acres (100 ha); 12.5% were 300 to 50,000 acres (120-20,200 ha); and 0.5% were >50,000 acres (Alaska Interagency Fire Management Plan 1984 cited in [31]). from 25% to 90%; Sitka alder and ericaceous shrubs dominate the understory and bluejoint reedgrass the ground layer. This section summarizes fire regime information available in the scientific literature as of 2014. The 2007 McKinley River Wildfire, in Denali National Park, burned mostly on the surface but with some torching of spruces. The leaves attach to branches via a long and flattened petiole, so that even the slightest breeze causes the leaves to flutter. Alaskan taiga usually burns in mosaics, with low- to high-severity and unburned patches [31,39,96] such as that shown in Figure 6 below. Comments. The quaking aspen grows well in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained and clay soils. Severe fire that results in permafrost melt can result in a type shift from black spruce to quaking aspen [48]. Very moist black spruce sites where fire has exposed mineral soil are most likely to succeed to deciduous species in early postfire landscapes. A model predicted a 450% increase in area of deciduous forest in interior Alaska, mostly from encroachment into areas that are currently black spruce forest [13]. Even studies of how balsam poplar regenerates after fire in Alaska [23], and its postfire successional role, are few [16]. It contains 0 bedroom. Viereck and others [94] reported that the oldest balsam poplar stands they found in Alaska were about 200 years old, but most stands were replaced successionally about 100 years after disturbance [94]. Stand ages of 1 and 2 centuries [25,55] suggest stand-replacement fires are uncommon in balsam poplar stands [16]. Quaking aspen stands are most flammable in spring and from late summer to early fall, when surface vegetation is dormant and dry [16,21]. Distribution: Black cottonwoods are found from southeast Alaska into Baja California and from the Pacific to the Dakotas. Fires typically stay on the surface and are of low severity, although stand-replacement fires occur infrequently. Severe fires may favor quaking aspen over conifers. It occurs from Newfoundland west to Alaska and south to Virginia, Missouri, Nebraska, and northern Mexico. ... Distribution: quaking aspen grows in more states than any other tree. Kinnikinnick, Alaska wormwood, fringed sagebrush, and/or common juniper are dominant Previous periods of global warming have favored quaking aspen expansion in Alaska. LANDFIRE models showed severe and mixed-severity fires in quaking aspen and mixed-deciduous communities, but not low-severity fire. They withstand such a wide range of climatic conditions by growing at lower altitudes in the north and higher altitudes in the south. In the Northwest Territories, a 17 June prescribed fire conducted under extreme fire weather crowned in black spruce-jack pine stands but extinguished in quaking aspen stands [1]. Fire histories of Alaskan taiga communities in general are incomplete. In most years, quaking aspen and quaking aspen-paper birch stands are too moist to burn, even when adjacent, highly flammable black spruce stands do burn [39]. Quaking aspen is most abundant and grows best on warm south and southwest aspects in Alaska and western Canada. Paleobotanical studies on the Kenai Peninsula found quaking aspen dominated during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Balsam poplar is a minor forest type: balsam poplar and black cottonwood forests occupy about 9% of interior Alaska's taiga [43]. The forest floor is covered with scattered feather mosses, herbs, and an "extensive litter Quaking Aspen You'll find Quaking Aspens throughout Alaska, especially in mountainous areas and locations that receive better drainage. Quaking aspen mortality in stands >60 years old promotes establishment and growth of spruces [67]. Human-caused fires are more prevalent than lightning-caused fires in some upland quaking aspen communities [16]. View 1 photos for 8000 N Quaking Aspen Rd, Palmer, AK 99645 a bed, bath, 40.0 acres. The leaves shimmer and "quake" in the breeze displaying a spectacular show and a great fluttering sound. Based in Alaska, Teri's favorite tools are palette knives, which she loads with heavy acrylic to sculpt thick vibrant landscapes full of color and life. Western North American boreal lowland large river floodplain forest and shrubland, Western North American boreal montane floodplain forest and shrubland, Western North American boreal riparian stringer forest and shrubland. Quaking aspen have a wider range than any other North American tree. On 6 sites in the Tanana River valley, wildfires removed most of the litter, moss, and humic layers in quaking aspen and white spruce stands but not in black spruce stands. Please check your email to verify your subscription. Free personal GPS–driven travel guide to Alaska. This type is common in mountain ranges of south-central Alaska and near the western and northern limits A review of fire history studies in the Tanana River Basin reported that Native Alaskans started fires for many reasons, particularly for insect control and to reduce undergrowth for better hunting. Balsam poplar is restricted to floodplains; it favors banks of large streams [68,73] and rivers, floodplains, and low terraces [16,68]. They grow in Alaska and Canada, all the way south to Mexico. the understory; cow parsnip and bluejoint reedgrass dominate the ground layer. White spruce may replace paper birch and Moderate-severity fire was documented in only 1 study [33]. Before decaying, the leaf litter may be thick [, quaking aspen-black spruce/bunchberry. A chronosequence study near Delta Junction in east-central interior Alaska found northern rough fescue dominated a 3-year-old burn, quaking aspen and willows a 15-year-old burn, and black spruce an 80-year-old burn [65]. In midsuccession, quaking aspen often occurs in deciduous-conifer stands with paper birch, balsam poplar, and spruces [69]. Relationships: There are about 15 species of Populus (Poplars, Cottonwoods and Aspens) native to North America. Nursery Hours. A few scattered populations occur farther south in Mexico to Guanajuato [].Quaking aspen is distributed fairly continuously in the East. Let us simplify it for you, How much does an Alaska summer vacation cost? Mary Beth. During these severe fire seasons, fires averaged 50,200 acres (20,300 ha). Another study of fire records of Alaskan taiga from 1940 to the 1990s found most large fires (73%) occurred during 10 severe fire seasons. Sites with 1 to 4 inches (3-10 cm) of organic soil remaining will succeed to mixed quaking aspen-paper birch-black spruce stands, with either deep, active layers of warmer soil or permafrost taking longer to recover previous thickness. SUMMARY Some find the smoke from Aspen to be less strong than pine, making it suitable for campfires. posted 2 years ago. in boreal and boreal-arctic transition regions of interior Alaska, occupying moderately steep to very steep, south-facing bluffs and slopes. Deciduous trees provide more shade for fine surface fuels during the fire season—resulting in higher fuel moisture—they have less continuous vertical fuels, and communities dominated by deciduous trees have a lower proportion of resinous fuels [16,73]. The understory of deciduous stands was sparse, with alders and willows in the tall shrub layer and ericaceous shrubs in the low shrub layer [39]. Mixed deciduous-conifer stands often have mixed-severity fires. Balsam poplar requires a scouring flood or stand-replacing fire about every 100 years, or spruce replaces it successionally [92]. ages of 56 quaking aspen & ~35 white spruces determed on a ~150-ha riparian sites w/ 8 terraces, 2 terraces were white spruce-balsam poplar; boreal white spruce-balsam poplar-quaking aspen/russet buffaloberry/lichen riparian forests on low terraces [. Discover the optimal month due to daylight, temperature, and rain. It produces about half the heat of other hardwoods but it is straight grained and easy to cut. Use our calculator to find out, Stay casual, dress in layers, and get proper footwear, Guides to the best locations around the state to view wildlife. Lutz [66] wrote that fires "are not nearly as common in the tacamahac (balsam) poplar type as in other forest communities but they are not unknown". single family home built in that sold on 09/12/2016. Cronan and others [16] noted that low-severity fires in riparian zones may leave little evidence of their passing, and low-severity fires may burn in balsam poplar communities more often than realized. It occurs Hardy and Franks [34] rated relative rates-of-spread in quaking aspen fuel types of Alaska as medium, except for on ridgetops (medium-high) and southerly slopes (high). Deciduous forests tend to retain more heat but use more water than conifer forests. Location: Fairbanks, AK. Cronan and others [16] reported that "balsam poplar likely represents a fire refugia in the boreal forests of Alaska". The range of values generated for fire regime characteristics in Alaskan quaking aspen and balsam poplar communities is: Quaking aspen forests can be "extremely dry" in the fire season [29]. Quaking aspen: Experts suggest that balsam poplar stands historically experienced a mix of infrequent low-severity surface fire [16] and infrequent, stand-replacement fire [66,97]. Distributions of Alaskan quaking aspen and balsam poplar-quaking aspen communities based on the Except for the woodland, these communities are scattered throughout northwestern, interior, south-central, southwestern Alaska [94]. Balsam poplar stands are most common on the floodplains of interior, south-central, and southwestern Alaska, especially along major rivers of interior Alaska [31,87,94,96]. Balsam poplar is common on fresh alluvium [68,97,98] and other river-deposited sediments [16]. Severe fire sometimes favors quaking aspen by decreasing the relative abundance of black spruce in early postfire communities [47]. Quaking aspen occurs across Canada in all provinces and territories, including Nunavut (Akimiski Island). Your must-have activity guide + map while in Alaska. 7-10 days is the most common. The moss layer is sparse Viereck [97] reported that some balsam poplar stands on islands of major rivers were >200 years old. Deciduous-conifer forests occupy about 36% of interior Alaska's landscape [5,97]; these mixed forests often succeed to conifer forests. USDI, National Park Service photo. I have an acre of land in Fairbanks, Alaska. On lowlands of the Kenai Peninsula, scattered quaking aspen stands within a black spruce forest were <50 years old. In the United States, it can be found as far north as the northern foothills of the Brooks Range in Alaska, where road margins and gravel pads provide islands of well-drained habitat in a region where soils are often waterlogged due to underlying permafrost. The classic Alaska Cruise, offered by such companies as Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. across 2 subbasins, ages of 4-47 trees determined on 21 sites; mosaic of black spruce, white spruce, & quaking aspen-paper birch boreal forests; paper birch-quaking aspen on south-facing slopes [, Riley Creek near the Nenana River, south-interior Alaska. Balsam poplar: A few studies provided information on fire-return intervals in Alaskan quaking aspen and balsam poplar communities or stands. But for much of its range, it only grows along rivers and streams, avoiding the hot, dry territory they travel through. Controlling Quaking Aspen clones in interior Alaska . Quaking aspen-paper birch occurred on south-facing slopes lacking permafrost. Geographically isolated balsam poplar sites may not burn for centuries. Conifer frequency usually increases with time since fire; late-successional quaking aspen communities may occur only where spruce seed sources are lacking (expert estimate cited in [61]). Only tenuous inferences can be made based on such limited data, and further research is needed on fire regimes of these communities. Car, train, or group tour. In quaking aspen-paper birch stands, wildfires were mixes of low- and moderate-severity surface fires and stand-replacing fires. Canopy cover ranges A patchy surface burn on FROSTFIRE's experimental site (see Fire pattern below). Within stands, fires become more frequent as the proportion of spruce or age of quaking aspen increases [31]. This type occurs on south-facing slopes, with trees rarely persisting past pole size. Although both low and severe fires occur in quaking aspen [22,47], the relative proportion each was not documented. It grows best in rich porous soils with plenty of lime. Yarie [102] found a fire cycle of 26 years for deciduous stands in the Porcupine River watershed (3.6 million ha). boreal dry quaking aspen-steppe bluff. It’s that time of year when the snow is rapidly vanishing, and the ground is thawing out. The Rent Zestimate for this home is $950/mo, which has decreased by $198/mo in the last 30 days. Balsam poplar and other Populus types are the most productive forests of interior Alaska [92,94]. Low Small balsam poplar stands occur on timberline slopes throughout boreal Alaska [94]. Analyses of fire severity and patterns in Alaskan boreal forests from 1950 to the 1990s showed severe fire years occurred about once every 4 years, although landscape patterns (deciduous:conifer) within these burns were not noted [52]. paper birch-balsam poplar/alders-willows; 10%-25% canopy closure. To date (2014), fire history studies of balsam poplar forests were few. Mature stands (50-80 years) have a closed canopy and an almost continuous shrub layer. The quaking aspen is a member of the willow family of trees and a relative of the cottonwood. Quaking Aspen leaves turn bright yellow in fall before falling and leaving its bark on display as winter interest. It is a member of the poplar family, and its scientific name, Populus tremuloides, can give some indication of one of its characteristics, even if you do not know Latin. Fires do not linger on quaking aspen forest floors because quaking aspen grows on relatively warm, dry sites lacking permafrost [49,50,104], and the litter and soil organic layers are often thin [67]. White spruce usually replaces quaking aspen around postfire year 60. Boutique, small ship adventure cruises in Alaska's Inside Passage, Cruises depart from Whittier, a 1 hr drive from Anchorage. For balsam poplar, they include these BpS groups: HISTORICAL FIRE REGIMES LANDFIRE Biophysical Settings (BpS) data layer [, Caribou Poker Creeks Research Watershed, interior Alaska. Hybridizes with balsam poplar where ranges overlap. top right. Mature quaking aspen stands are rare to infrequent on floodplains of interior Alaska [29,104]. Distribution Quaking aspen is the most widely distributed tree species in North America. However, balsam polar stands occur near flammable spruce types, so fires likely burn into balsam poplar stands in extreme fire years [16]. From 1940 to 1994, 3 large fires (in 1940, 1957, and 1969) burned about 4.5 million acres (1.8 million ha) in interior Alaska (USDI, BLM data cited in [31]). Experts state that fire is rare in balsam poplar stands [16,67,68]. The thick moss and organic layers of spruce forests insulate soil and have low bulk density and thermal conductivity, which tend to decrease site productivity and biodiversity [90]. After 11 August, the Duff Moisture Code fell and the Drought Code was above prescription more frequently than earlier in the summer. Balsam poplar is visible in the Appendix A summarizes data generated by LANDFIRE succession modeling for the Biophysical Settings models covered in this review. Since balsam poplar and white spruce are common along large streams [74,96], this omission fails to capture many white spruce-balsam poplar communities. *MRFI=mean fire-return interval. Old quaking aspen stands are most likely to burn severely— particularly stands that are breaking up—because they have greatest fuel accumulations [21]. It also ignites quickly making it attractive as kindling. A handful of studies show fire-return intervals ranging from 40 to over 200 years (see Table 2). For balsam poplar, these are likely adaptations to flooding and ice scouring rather than fire [16]. provides historical and paleological fire-return intervals for those few studies. For example, in the south-central Brooks Range, Populus spp. Summer and winter albedo in boreal deciduous forests is about twice that of conifer forests; in summer, heat loss from boreal conifer forests to the atmosphere is about 41% to 70% more than heat loss from boreal deciduous forests. Details and documentation of source materials follow this summary. Black spruce dominance was positively correlated with sites that burned at low severity and had deep residual organic layers (P<0.001) [84]. quaking aspen with long fire-return intervals, but this forest type is often self-replacing. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. When mature, quaking aspen can grow to be 100 feet tall, but rarely get so … USDI, National Park Service photo. Balsam poplar: Ground fires may linger for weeks, or even months, in deciduous-spruce forests (review by [87]). dominated the landscape [41,72] (see Table 2B). Please try again. This unique name derives from the motion of the leaves on this deciduous beauty. See FEIS's Fire Regime Table for links to Fire Regime Summaries of other Alaskan vegetation communities. Experts suggest that balsam poplar forests have both infrequent low-severity surface and infrequent stand-replacement fires. Yukon-Old Crow Basin and the North Ogilvie Mountains had relatively low proportions of conifer:deciduous trees (30% and 43%, respectively) and relatively frequent fire cycles (97 and 12.2 years, respectively) [52]. provide up-to-date information to the management community on historical fire regimes and contemporary changes in fuels and fire regimes, supplement information on individual species’ adaptations and responses to fire provided by FEIS Species Reviews, and. In less severe fire years, average fire size was 19,000 acres (7,800 ha), and no fires were >500,000 acres (200,000 ha) [52]. Paleological studies found fire was relatively infrequent when Populus spp. In particular, high-severity fires will likely favor quaking aspen and birches over spruces [8]. Stand-replacement fire sets back succession, favoring balsam poplar over spruces. Documented fire-return intervals range from about 40 to over 200 years in Alaskan quaking aspen stands; these are shorter than those documented for spruce forests. Although the fire was prescribed, researchers concluded that as "with a natural wildfire, a range of burn severities developed from irregular burning patterns" [39]. Sites with >4 inches (10 cm) of organic soil remaining after fire will succeed to black spruce stands, with permafrost eventually re-forming [6]. Balsam poplar litter is abundant and decays rapidly. The fire regimes of quaking aspen-steppe bluff communities were undocumented [16] as of 2014, and these communities are not well described in vegetation classifications.
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