The goal of this project is to provide real-time tree water content from a mixed boreal forest stand near Fairbanks, Alaska, to help local residents decide when the optimal time is to harvest firewood. We will provide drying schedules for trees harvested at different times of the year and different water contents at harvest time.
The water content of a tree (or how much water a living tree is holding in its trunk) changes over the year and differs by species. The main boreal tree species this project focuses on are those that are often harvested by local people for firewood, including Birch and White Spruce. This project focuses on areas without permafrost, which is where these trees grow. Winters are cold in Interior Alaska, and many of us burn wood to stay warm.
Water enters the soil from rainfall and snowmelt, and trees take up this water through their roots. They store the water in their trunks and use it when they photosynthesize (take up carbon dioxide from the air) and transpire (lose water vapor to the air). Tree water content changes over the year because the they are responding to changes in the environment. For example, they take up snowmelt water in the spring, store it in their trunks, and use it all summer, supplementing it with water from rainfall. So, a good snowpack is important for boreal trees because they use their stored trunk water when there is not enough rainfall to sustain them.
What does this have to do with harvesting firewood?
Click here to read about our drying experiment.
Click here to learn about Air Quality and Wood Stoves in Alaska.
Click here to learn about Drying and Storing Firewood.