Erickson has been contracted to provide helicopter transport in support of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Inventory Analysis project.

Under the five-year contract, Erickson will deliver one exclusive-use, light lift helicopter for charter services to an interagency field crew led by the Alaska DNR Division of Forestry, United States Department of Agricultural and United States Forest Service. The crew will establish forestry field plots to analyze and monitor over several years as part of a national program.

The Forest Inventory Analysis project area for 2016 is focused on Alaska’s interior. Erickson operations will be based in Fairbanks and work out of Nenana and Manley. For the work, the aircraft and crew will be required to operate in and out of unimproved landing areas, potentially during periods of inclement weather, gusty winds, and possibly smoky conditions. Erickson’s self-reliant team of experienced pilots and qualified mechanics are specially trained for performance in rugged terrain and challenging conditions5

Erickson’s Alaska operations have multiple locations throughout the state, supporting various industry needs. For near-shore oil and gas customers, the company provides transport of passengers and cargo in the Cook Inlet and North Slope. It has also provided an aerial school bus for rural students. From a base in Nome, Erickson transports residents to the island of Little Diomede, the Western-most point of the United States. The company has additionally worked on utility and infrastructure construction outside of Anchorage and recently announced fire suppression contracts earlier this year. Erickson has served the Alaska market for more than 50 years.

The Interior Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) project will install permanent sample measurement plots to assess important forest functions within the Boreal forest of Interior Alaska.  This is the last area of the United States to have an installed permanent sample grid and these plots will provide important information on the changes occurring in the region during a key period of climatic warming.  A permanent grid of sample plots will enable the assessment of ecological change over time including changes in species distribution, growth rates, carbon flux, wildfire frequency, and permafrost depth.