Inside the quest to combat Arctic fires and save the planet’s frozen carbon
In the middle of an especially warm July in 2021, a wildfire ignited in a thick forest of black spruce and peeling paper birch trees on the northern campus of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The blaze, possibly sparked by lightning, burned across the dry carpet of feather mosses and lichen before climbing into the….
Wildfires in the Arctic and boreal forests are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. In July 2021, a wildfire near Fairbanks, Alaska, burned through dry mosses and lichen before spreading rapidly, sending a 500-foot column of smoke into the air. These fires are linked to rising temperatures, which dry out landscapes and increase lightning strikes, a key ignition source. Between 2001 and 2024, global emissions from forest fires rose by 60%, but in boreal forests, they nearly tripled. This trend is especially concerning because the Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the rest of the planet. The fires not only destroy forests but also accelerate the thawing of permafrost, a layer of frozen soil that stores vast amounts of carbon.
Permafrost is a layer of frozen soil found in 15% of the Northern Hemisphere, storing roughly twice as much carbon as the atmosphere—about 1.5 trillion tons. When fires burn through the insulating layer of moss and organic soil above permafrost, the frozen ground thaws more quickly. This thawing releases carbon dioxide and methane, potent greenhouse gases that further drive climate change. For example, in 2023, wildfires in Canada released more carbon than the country’s entire fossil fuel emissions. By 2100, fire-driven permafrost thaw could release nearly 80 billion tons of carbon dioxide under high warming scenarios, on top of over 400 billion tons from general thawing. Despite this, most climate models used by the UN do not fully account for these sudden thawing events.
Scientists are exploring whether targeted firefighting could help protect permafrost and reduce carbon emissions. A 2022 study found that suppressing boreal fires could be a cost-effective climate solution, potentially cheaper than building wind turbines or solar farms. Organizations like the Woodwell Climate Research Center and the Alaska Fire Science Consortium are studying the benefits of early fire detection and suppression, even in remote areas where fires are usually left to burn. However, this approach is controversial because wildfires are a natural part of healthy ecosystems, and suppressing all fires could lead to more severe blazes later due to accumulated dry vegetation.
In 2019, massive fires burned 750,000 acres in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, an area with deep, carbon-rich permafrost called yedoma. After discussions with researchers, the refuge’s manager, Jimmy Fox, convinced fire agencies to suppress fires threatening this permafrost, even if they didn’t endanger human lives. A pilot project was launched in 2023 on a 1.6-million-acre section, aiming to contain fires within 72 hours. The project faced skepticism, including concerns about the risks to firefighters, but it was later expanded to include goals like protecting habitat diversity and air quality. The initiative is now being studied to assess its impact on permafrost loss and carbon emissions.
Woodwell Climate Research Center and its partners are developing maps to identify areas where fires pose the greatest risk to permafrost and carbon storage. These maps will highlight locations of carbon-rich permafrost, forecast fire risks over the next 10 to 15 years, and predict fire behavior. The goal is to help fire agencies prioritize where to allocate resources for suppression or prevention efforts. The project initially focuses on interior Alaska but aims to expand across Canada. Researchers emphasize that any intervention must balance the risks to firefighters with the potential benefits of reducing carbon emissions and protecting permafrost.
One strategy to reduce wildfire risks is through controlled burns, which involve intentionally setting small, manageable fires to clear dry vegetation and create firebreaks. Indigenous tribes, such as those in Fort Yukon, Alaska, have long used cultural burns to manage landscapes. These practices help prevent larger, more destructive fires by reducing the fuel available for wildfires. The article highlights that excessive fire suppression in the past has sometimes worsened fire risks by allowing dry plant material to accumulate. Researchers are now studying how to integrate controlled burns and other prevention methods into broader fire management strategies to protect both ecosystems and carbon stores.
The idea of actively suppressing Arctic fires to protect permafrost is complex and raises difficult questions. Fire agencies are primarily tasked with protecting human life and property, not preventing climate change. Suppressing all fires could disrupt natural ecosystems and lead to more severe blazes in the future. Additionally, the resources required for such interventions are limited, and it’s unclear how much difference they would make in reducing emissions. Researchers acknowledge these trade-offs, noting that the need for intervention reflects the broader challenge of addressing climate change amid finite resources and time constraints.
