Forestry Sciences Laboratory (Anchorage)

Legacy 

Anchorage Forestry Sciences Laboratory (Anchorage Lab) traces its roots to Juneau’s Institute of Northern Forestry, where in the 1950s, forest surveys were led by the Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. The lab moved to Anchorage in the 1970s as the National Forest System ramped up partnerships with Anchorage-based partners. By 1979, the “Alaska Forest Inventory Program” was up and running at Anchorage lab. Scientists and staff churned out air photos and other survey data in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state agencies.

Located on C Street prior to 2013, Anchorage Forestry Sciences Lab sits in the historic Alaska Railroad Freight Shed. Lab scientists and staff manage both the immensely large forests of Interior Alaska – which alone account for 15% of the total U.S. forested area – to tiny islands of the Pacific basin – including Guam, Pompeii, and Micronesia. Partnerships with state and private forestry, native corporations, the University of Anchorage, University of Fairbanks, and private industry expand the lab’s workspace. Lab scientists frequently “go mobile,” with fixed wing aircraft plying the Alaskan Interior, in helicopters, or on sea-based expeditions.

Address

161 East 1st Avenue Door #8  
Anchorage, AK 99501 

Voice: 907-743-9400

Science 

Unique challenges of the "last frontier" pushed new frontiers in forest inventory methods at the Anchorage Lab. The sheer scale of the Alaskan wilderness led to increased reliance on remote sensing data, like high-altitude aerial photography. Leadership in collecting forest survey data from earth-orbiting satellites, such as Landsat, arose from partnerships with the USGS Alaska Field Office. Innovation continues with sample designs and protocols geared towards large-scale inventory challenges in logistics, communications, terrain, and vegetation. Techniques to measure vegetation and downed woody debris developed at the lab are used across the United States. Science tools like G-LiHT (Goddard's LiDAR, Hyperspectral & Thermal Imager(link is external)), developed jointly with NASA and other partners, permit forest surveyors nationwide to measure soil carbon and other key inventory data, then link observations to remotely sensed images.

People 

About 22 OFSL scientists and staff are co-located with the U.S. Forest Service's Region 10 Forest Health Protection Anchorage office. Seasonal and temporary researchers and technicians swell the lab’s ranks by about 25 to 30 temporary hires each year. The lab frequently hosts visiting scientists from other Pacific Northwest Research Station locations, and the lab trains new generations of natural resource managers through fellowships, academic appointments, and volunteer opportunities. 

Teams 

OFSL teams include units focused on interior, coastal, and pacific islands inventory. Researchers at the lab sit on diverse teams including Data Collection Team, Information Management Team, Inventory, Reporting and Mapping (IRAM) team, Insects, Pathogens, and Stressors (IPS) team, and Vegetation Monitoring Science & Application (VeMSA) team. 

Contribution 

Our lab supports Pacific Northwest Research Station programs including: Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program Threat Characterization and Management