Researchers probe fire interventions to protect Arctic permafrost

Woodwell Climate Research Center, the Polis Institute, and the Alaska Venture Fund launched the multimillion-dollar North Fire initiative to study controlled burns and rapid fire suppression in boreal forests. The goal is to slow permafrost thaw; the frozen soil holds roughly twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, and boreal fire emissions have nearly tripled since 2001.

• Boreal forest fire emissions have nearly tripled since 2001
• Permafrost stores roughly twice as much carbon as the atmosphere
• Canada's 2023 fires released more carbon than the nation's fossil fuel emissions
• The North Fire initiative assesses controlled burns and early fire suppression