CONTENTS 



Page 



Chapter 1 - Introduction 1 



Purpose of This Publication 1 



Literature Review 1 



Summary 3 



Chapter 2 - Values at Stake 9 



Timber Resources 9 



Fish and Wildlife Resources 11 



Fishing Resource 11 



Wildlife Resource 11 



Recreational Resources 13 



Mining 15 



Watersheds 16 



Use of Aircraft 17 



Assessment of Damages 19 



Chapter 3 - Geography and Climate 21 



Physical Geography 21 



South Coast 21 



Copper River Valley 21 



Cook Inlet 21 



Bristol Bay 21 



West Central 22 



Arctic Drainage 22 



Interior Basin 22 



Climate 22 



Zone of Dominant Maritime Influence 23 



Transition Zone 23 



Dominant Continental Zone 24 



Arctic Zone 25 



Weather Factors That Affect Fire Behavior and Control 25 



Precipitation 25 



Temperature 27 



Permafrost 28 



Relative Humidity 28 



Length of Daylight 28 



Wind 29 



Sky Conditions 30 



Significance of Deviations From Normal 32 



Chapter 4 - Fuels _ 35 



Fuel Description 35 



Size 35 



Continuity 35 



Cover Type Classification 36 



Early Stages in Forest Succession 36 



Secondary Stages in Forest Succession 37 



Climax Forests 37 



Fuel Type Classification 40 



