Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest

Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest is located south of Fairbanks, Alaska, in the Yukon-Tanana uplands in the Tanana Valley State Forest, south of the Brooks Mountain Range and north of the Alaska Range.

Within the Yukon-Tanana uplands are forests, grasslands, wetlands, and alpine tundra (a cold, dry, windy region where no trees grow). Elevations in Bonanza Creek range from 393 to 1,542 feet (120 to 470 meters) above sea level. The Yukon and Tanana rivers cross the region.

The climate in the Alaskan taiga is extreme, with temperatures ranging from -58° to 95°F (-50° to +35°C). The average annual temperature is 26°F (-3.3°C). July is the warmest month with an average daily temperature of 61.5°F (16.4°C). January is the coldest with an average temperature of -12.8°F (-24.9°C). For about 233 days each year, freezing temperatures are possible. About 65 percent of the...