Wood Availability

Firewood species flourish throughout Alaska. Sitka spruce and hemlock, for example, grow in the coastal forests of Southeast, while tamarack and white and black spruce thrive in the boreal forests of the Interior. The black and white spruce species inhabit Southcentral along with hardwood trees such as quaking aspen, paper birch and balsam poplar. Each species has its firewood value.

Click your area to see more detail and learn which fuel species are most readily available near you.

Alaska Forest Dominant Tree Species by Forest Class
(USGS Classified AVHRR, 1991)

Closed Broadleaf & Closed Mixed Forest

Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa)
Balsam Poplar
Paper Birch
Quaking Aspen
White Spruce
Black Spruce

Closed Mixed Forest

Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
White Spruce (Picea glauca)
Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera)

Closed Spruce Forest

White Spruce
Black Spruce

Spruce Woodland/Shrub

White Spruce

Open Spruce Forest/Shrub/Bog

White Spruce

Spruce & Broadleaf Forest

White Spruce
Black Spruce

Open Spruce & Closed Mixed Forest

White Spruce
Black Spruce
Paper Birch
Balsam Poplar
Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Closed Spruce & Hemlock Forest

Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)
  • Woodland has 10 - 24% tree cover
  • Open forest has 25% - 59% tree cover
  • Closed forest has 60% - 100% tree cover
  • Mixed forest hs 25% - 75% of tree cover is broadleaf or conifer species

Also see: