Fire in North American Wetland Ecosystems and Fire-Wildlife Relations: An Annotated Bibliography

31. Buckley, J. L. 1958. Effects of fire on Alaskan wildlife. Pages 123-126 in 
         Proceedings Society of American Foresters Meeting, 10-13 November 
         1958. Syracuse, NY.

Fire is the most important single factor influencing forest and tundra in most of Alaska. Fire removes insulation, lowers permafrost depths and thus the surface, affects subsurface drainage, and modifies water-holding capacity of soils. The general lowering of the water table as a result of fire is thus probably detrimental to waterfowl in Alaska because of the reduction in waterfowl habitat. Conversely, however, removal of woody vegetation by fire increases the attractiveness of an area to most waterfowl species, and early growth of plants in newly burned areas may permit earlier nesting. [K-L-S]

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