Wood Availability

Firewood species thrive throughout timbered regions of Alaska. Sitka spruce, hemlock, alder, waste wood from old timber sales and dead cedar are cut in the coastal forests of Southeast Alaska. White spruce, birch, aspen, balsam poplar, cottonwood, black spruce and tamarack are used in Western, Interior and South Central Alaska. Many river communities take trees as they float by along our major rivers. Each tree species has its regional preference and 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

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