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Alaska's size and remoteness is always a consideration in weighing fire suppression
and fire support options.
Those who have not experienced alaska often underestimate how vast the state
really is:
Alaska has one fifth the land mass of the entire continental United States and has
five hundred eighty six thousand square miles.
Alaska has more than half of all the world's glaciers which can produce
strong down-sloping winds.
There are three million lakes that are larger than twenty acres.
In fire prone areas the topography is almost always flat, gently rolling hills,
with a slope that is generally less than forty percent.
There are also hilly areas including the White, Ray, and Kuskokwim mountains, plus
Forty Mile and Nulato Hills;
most of these have some local effect on weather.
Large mountain ranges, such as the Alaska and Brooks ranges, have a much
larger scale effect on weather.
Most fires occur at an elevation of one thousand feet or lower.
It is rare for a fire to occur above thirty five hundred feet.
In alaska it is more difficult to detect rapid changes in fire behavior;
with long periods of daylight flat terrain and no horizon in sight it is easy to become
disoriented.
Disorientation is often compounded by smoke from the fire.
Additionally,
the density of the boreal forest tree canopy makes it virtually impossible to
see any discernible landmarks.
Don't forget to carry and know how to use a compass and GPS,
remember the importance of maintaining an awareness of your surroundings and
LCES