Cottonwood and Balsam Poplar | Geophysical Institute
Dec 18, 2025 · Balsam poplar is the most widespread broadleaf tree in Alaska; it ranges even farther north and west than another close relative, the quaking aspen. Close up, it is easy to distinguish …
Calling lost chickadees in far north poplars | Geophysical Institute
Aug 28, 2025 · Balsam poplar is the largest tree species on Alaska's North Slope. Photo by Sara Wilbur A gray-headed chickadee feeds along the Canning River in northern Alaska in 2015. Photo by Aaron …
Beavers slapping tails on far-north waters | Geophysical Institute
Nov 16, 2017 · Signs of the American beaver in Alaska: A cut poplar tree on the upper Tanana River and a dam on Phelan Creek near Isabel Pass in the Alaska Range. Ned Rozell photos.
The American robin returns on time | Geophysical Institute
May 22, 2025 · American robins have returned to northern Alaska. A male is now perched above me in a balsam poplar tree on this bench of well-drained land upon which sits the University of Alaska …
The Days of the Shade Trees in Alaska | Geophysical Institute
Aug 26, 1998 · Today, interior Alaska has a climate that allows a handful of tree species to survive. White and black spruce, balsam poplar, aspen, willows and alders are the most common varieties …
Visit to an exotic tree plantation in Alaska | Geophysical Institute
Jun 18, 2021 · The two-acre exotic tree plantation is part of a much-larger “boreal arboretum” on the UAF campus, which mostly consists of native spruce, birch, aspen, poplar and willow trees. Having …
Aspen miners leave few leaves unturned | Geophysical Institute
Jun 2, 2005 · Aspen leaf miners, tiny insects that turn quaking aspen leaves into silvery medallions, have been thorough in their coverage of interior Alaska the past few years.
The largest black spruce in Alaska | Geophysical Institute
Aug 16, 2010 · The tallest trees are not always the winners of The Big Tree Challenge; foresters score trees on height, circumference and the spread of a tree’s crown. The black spruce on the UAF …
Trees for a Cold Climate | Geophysical Institute
Apr 1, 1993 · The forests contain only a handful of families, white spruce, black spruce, poplar, birch, willow, with the odd tamarack or over-grown alder thicket providing scant variety. Back on the …
Pollen season arrives, blame the trees | Geophysical Institute
May 7, 2008 · The airborne invaders are grains of tree pollen, specks so small that it would take eight of them to cover the period at the end of this sentence. The air is rich with pollen because spring is the …