Near Chickaloon, Alaska, USA Photograph by Richard D. Huseth   Northwestern North America: Western United States (Alaska) Boreal Forests/Taiga   10,700 square miles (27,800 square kilometers) -- slightly larger than Maryland Relatively Stable/Intact

· The Incredible Kenai River
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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The Incredible Kenai River

Even though this ecoregion has experienced the most extensive human disturbance in Alaska, it is almost 90 percent intact and supports a wide range of land animals and fish. In fact, the Kenai River supports all five species of Pacific salmon, including the world's largest king salmon. During the winter, it also shelters the second highest concentration of American bald eagles in Alaska. The mouth of the river is full of snow geese in the spring before they begin their migration.

Special Features

This ecoregion's relatively mild climate, its flat to gently rolling landscape, and its extensive coastline have made it a popular place for humans to visit and live. There are glaciers galore here, which are covered by windblown soil from nearby floodplains and with volcanic ash from the mountains to the west.

	The spruce bark beetle is a common disturbance in the forests of the Cook Inlet Taiga. A current infestation has reached all parts of the ecoregion, with up to 80 percent of the mature spruce in many forests killed. The spruce bark beetle is naturally occurring and actually may be the most important factor contributing to forest renewal in the ecoregion.

Wild Side

The climate here allows this ecoregion to support coniferous, broadleaf, and mixed forests as well as scrub and herbaceous plant communities. Forests are dominated by black spruce, white spruce, Sitka spruce, quaking aspen, balsam poplar, black cottonwood, and paper birch. Brown bears, wolves, wolverines, coyotes, and all five species of Pacific salmon can be found here.

Cause for Concern

Most of the impacts on the habitat of this region come from urban development, as well as from some agriculture. Timber harvest and oil and gas exploitation on the Kenai Peninsula have occurred, and there is a high potential for future exploitation here and in other parts of the ecoregion. The populations of wolf, bear, lynx, and other animals on the Kenai Peninsula are isolated from others in Alaska by water, glaciers, and development and are at risk of becoming locally extinct if the degradation of their habitat continues or if the animals themselves are exploited. Coal mining poses an additional threat to the ecoregion.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.