Welcome from the Director

Welcome to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (AFES). As Alaska's Land Grant University, we have been working to improve Alaskans' lives for over a century by supporting research that focuses on agriculture, natural resources and forest sciences.

Alaska’s wildness, diversity of people, extreme temperatures and long summer daylight hours provide an unparalleled setting for innovative research that elevates Alaska’s complex food system, community health, economic diversity and access to our natural resources.

 The unique challenges of growing food at high latitudes include unpredictably short growing seasons, yearly infestations of various pests, long daylight hours and the occasional mid-season frost. Our researchers tackle these issues head-on and have developed varieties of barley, wheat, sunflowers, berries, potatoes and other vegetables that thrive in the far north. We study cover crop effectiveness, soil health, greenhouse light efficiency, plant nutrient density, invasive plants and pests, pesticide and herbicide persistence in cold soils, and more, providing science-based solutions for anyone from large and small-scale agricultural producers to home gardeners. 

 Our research investigating forest responses to environmental change, diversity in recreational use areas and forest biomass using remote sensing tools informs managers, foresters and landowners, ensuring all Alaskans benefit from the wise use of land resources.

AFES researchers work in laboratories, greenhouses, experimental fields and on farms in Fairbanks, Palmer and Delta Junction. Our facilities host world-class research as well as many outreach programs–engaging Alaskans in citizen science and sharing knowledge with those who seek it.

Here’s to another century of addressing the complex problems facing Alaskans and the world.