Alaska’s Wildfire Season Is Getting Longer

Alaska's wildfire season is getting longer. Over the past 40 years, the first large fire (1,000+ acres) of the season starts earlier, and the last large fire starts later. 

The low snow in the spring of 2025 in southern Alaska prompted the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection to shift the start date of wildland fire season, and accompanying burn permit requirements, from April 1st to March 17th in some areas. 

This was revealed in a report from the Alaska Fire Science Consortium titled Alaska's Changing Wildfire Environment 2.0.

The report provides an overview of Alaska's vast, complex, and changing wildfire environment.

This year’s low snow contributes to a long-term trend toward earlier snow melt in spring, which is linked to a greater likelihood of larger-than-normal wildfire seasons and lengthening wildfire seasons.