Bristol Bay had its biggest wildfire season ever last year. This highlights a trend towards larger and more frequent fires in southwest Alaska as temperatures rise.
Rick Thoman, University of Alaska Fairbanks climate specialist, said that “we haven’t seen anything like it.” “The extremest of them all was Bristol Bay.”
Last year, fires engulfed nearly 650 miles of Bristol Bay region — more than any other fire in the region over the past 72 years.
The boundaries of the Alaska Fire Service for Bristol Bay are from Platinum in the West to North of Iliamna Lake and the Gulf of Alaska Coast to Port Heiden.
Thoman stated that the Koktuli fires and the Pike Creek fires to the north of Iliamna Lake were the largest. There were also other large fires like the Iowithla, which grew up to approximately 27,500 acres and was located within nine miles of Dillingham.
Thoman said it was the largest wildfire ever recorded close to Dillingham.
He also mentioned that there were many other fires, such as the Contact Creek fire, which he said was also lit early in the season.
Thoman stated, “Again, a 10,000-acre wildfire in a place we don’t expect such a thing.” “So it was not just one fire. We had many fires all around the Bristol Bay area.
Many environmental factors must align for this to occur. Dry fuel is one ingredient. Dry fuel can be found in Alaska as both ground and forest cover.
Thoman stated, “This is very different from, say, Lower 48, where you’re burning vegetation above ground.” “We have the above ground layer and the duff layer just below that is equally flammable so we need to dry that.”
All three elements are conducive to the growth and start of wildfires: sun, wind, and lack thereof. There must be a spark. Alaska is home to a lot of lightning.
Thoman stated that there was a sudden burst in lightning across Southwest Alaska from the end of May to the beginning of June. It lasted several days with lots of lightning. “As is usual for early summer thunderstorms,” Thoman said. “There was lightning in many places, but not significant rain. That set off many fires across southwest Alaska over the next few days.
Another factor is snowmelt. Certain areas, such as north of Ugashik bay, experienced an early snowmelt, and a warm, dry Spring. This meant that the tundra dried earlier. Dillingham was one example of an area that saw a lot more snow and rain towards the end of winter. This left a high amount of snowpack.
Thoman stated that while the early snowmelt wasn’t a significant factor, the warm and dry weather following the snow certainly contributed.”
Thoman stated that southwest Alaska passed a threshold in 2015. Since then, wildfires have grown larger and more frequent. In fact, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta has seen more wildfires in four seasons than in any year before 2015. It was one of the most obvious signs of climate-induced changes in Alaska, he said.
He said, “The Elders tell us that there’s more tundra vegetation, tundra vegetation grows higher, it’s thicker in the transition from boreal forest to the tundra. The trees are growing further away from rivers, and the trees near rivers are getting bigger.” All of this means that once the fire starts, there is more fuel to burn.
Thoman believes that next summer won’t be as severe as the previous one, as too many factors will have to align again. He said that Alaskans will experience larger wildfires as the climate warms.
