SERDP: Indicators of State Change

Identifying Indicators of State Change in Alaskan Boreal Ecosystems: Testing Previous Hypotheses and Conclusions with Long-term Data

Photo Credit: Garrett Frandson

Overarching Objective:
Determine whether the mechanistic links among fire, soils, permafrost, and vegetation succession predictive of state change immediately following disturbance remain robust predictors over longer timescales in Alaskan boreal forests.

The Specific Objectives were to determine the long-term effects of:
1. wildfire severity on successional trajectories of tree dominance and permafrost degradation.
2. fuel management treatments on successional trajectories of tree dominance and permafrost degradation.
3. climate and wildfire on permafrost soil temperature regimes.

View the final report here!