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Fuels reduction work at Denali National Park & Preserve showcases power of interagency collaboration

By Alaska National Park Service on June 13, 2025

This summer, wildland fire professionals from the National Park Service (NPS) are teaming up with interagency partners to proactively reduce wildfire risk and boost resilience in Denali National Park & Preserve through hazardous fuels reduction projects. NPS Western Area Fire Management personnel who have worked on fuels management projects in Denali’s front country for years were joined in late May 2025 by Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (AFS) smokejumpers and members of the U.S. Forest Service Tongass Suppression Module.

Piles of cut vegetation in the middle of a forest, with a road in the background. — Piles cut in the front country of Denali National Park and Preserve, summer 2025. These piles will be burned at a later date, likely in winter or spring when conditions allow.

Two wildland firefighters stand in a thickly forested area next to a pile of woody debris. — AFS Smokejumpers assisting NPS with hazardous fuels reduction in the front country of Denali National Park and Preserve, summer 2025.

Additional support came from an NPS-hosted Student Conservation Association (SCA) wildland fire crew. These emerging firefighters trained under the guidance of experienced staff from AFS, NPS, and the State of Alaska. The AFS Midnight Sun hotshot crew joined the effort on June 11, further expanding the project’s interagency reach.

Eleven Wildland Firefighters unload gear from boxes in a parking lot with mountains and several RVs in the background. — Members of an NPS-hosted Student Conservation Association Wildland Fire crew unload gear near the bus depot at Denali National Park & Preserve just prior to beginning work on hazardous fuels reduction (Photo by Karen Scholl).

Increased funding for wildland fire management in recent years has enabled NPS Alaska to expand staffing and establish interagency agreements that have significantly boosted the scope of fuels reduction work in the park. A slow start to the 2025 fire season has provided a valuable window to complete even more of this critical work.

“With the interagency help, we could easily accomplish ten times the acreage this year compared to past years,” said Matt Koller, NPS Fuels Management Specialist based in Denali.

Piles of cut woody debris in a forest with a road in the foreground. — A fuels reduction site near the entrance of Denali National Park & Preserve, summer 2025.

Crews will continue their work until the fire season intensifies and they’re called to support incidents elsewhere in Alaska or the lower 48. Their efforts will help protect lives and defend vital infrastructure in a world-renowned destination visited by people from across the globe.

Two female wildland firefighters talk in a forest clearing; one is holding a chainsaw. — A member of a Student Conservation Association (SCA) Wildland Fire crew talks with her instructor, from BLM. NPS partnered with BLM and the State of Alaska to train SCA crew members (Photo by Karen Scholl).

Increasing wildfire resilience of resources and infrastructure for an area as large as Denali demands collaboration of Federal, Tribal, State, and local entities. NPS is grateful to our partners at AFS, USFS, the State of AK Division of Fire and Forestry Protection, SCA, and our neighbors in the greater Denali community. In Alaska, wildland fire management isn’t confined to a single agency or boundary—and that’s what makes the work so effective. Together, we’re building resiliency for Denali and beyond.