Alatna Fuels Video [230807]

In the fall of 2022, the Mooseheart crew, a BLM contract crew predominantly made of firefighters from Tanana and Minto, created a fuel break to protect the village of Alatna from wildfires. Alatna, and its neighboring village of Allakaket, were identified by BLM Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) as communities of concern due to the threat of a catastrophic wildfire. Department of the Interior (DOI) policy provides guidance for wildland fire response in Alaska, and grants BLM AFS the authority to provide fire suppression on DOI and Alaska Native lands and assist those entities with other fire management activities.


The crew mobilized to Alatna on Aug. 28 and completed the project on Sept.17. The crew cut and piled material at a rate of one acre a day and created more than 3,000 small woody debris piles which will be burned in the fall of 2023. The piles were covered with squares of paper to keep the core dry to make them easier to burn in the future and reduce the smoke emissions.

Part of the project is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Fiscally, this mitigation work will aid in reducing suppression costs through on-the-ground wildfire preparedness. It will also lessen the potential for negative long-term environmental impacts from reactionary suppression actions. |

Video by Agustín Urioste, BLM AFS.