ABSTRACT 



Almost one-half of the 220 million acres in central Alaska 

 is covered with tundra, a highly flammable fuel complex. Rein- 

 deer lichen (Cladonia spp.), one component of tundra, was col- 

 lected near Fairbanks, Alaska, for adsorption and desorption 

 laboratory tests of timelags below fiber saturation and equilib- 

 rium moisture contents. Time responses recorded for five 

 timelag periods differed widely, increasing over periods 2 and 3, 

 then decreasing. Semilogarithmic plots for reindeer lichen did 

 not fit the strictly linear form predicted by the timelag equation. 

 Average desorption timelag was 1.7 times faster than the ad- 

 sorption timelag. Equilibrium moisture content data indicated a 

 slight hysteresis loop between adsorbing and desorbing condi- 

 tions. The National Fire-Danger Rating transitional moisture 

 curve approximates the equilibrium moisture content of reindeer 

 lichen as determined in this study. 



