UAF CES Anchorage Outreach Center

09/30/2026

Don't miss this seminar!📆 📆

Circumpolar Connections Coming!

October 6 is the first Circumpolar Connections seminar series of the year! Join online or in person to hear Melissa Ward Jones speak about "Permafrost and High Latitude Food Systems." Ward Jones will give an overview of permafrost and how it interacts with various types of high latitude food and agricultural systems.

Circumpolar Connections is a free series of 30-minute, lunchtime talks featuring speakers from across disciplines including soil science, plant breeding, livestock nutrition, greenhouse technologies, sustainable high-latitude food systems and community-based natural resource education.

Hosted by IANRE, seminars are open to researchers and students from UA, other circumpolar institutions, land-grant university experiment stations and the public. IANRE enriches the lives of Alaskans through research, education, and outreach grounded in community needs.

Register here: https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/vrUhPi8BSXeCzx6XQmhZlA?_x_zm_rtaid=n9wFSFBdTYyFhox2n8iYEg.1789057875071.aa35f20e9a767c08c5d096dddb67f20c&_x_zm_rhtaid=998 #/

09/29/2026

Understanding which nutrients are available in your soil for your plants is essential to supply your garden with the building blocks for healthy, vigorous growth. Taking a soil sample and analyzing a soil test is the only way to know what nutrients are in your soil and how much fertilizer to apply to your garden. You can access information on how to do that on our soil information page: https://www.uaf.edu/ces/agriculture/soil/index.php

If you want to learn even more, join us on Wednesday, October 7, at noon to learn about soil properties and soil health. Dr. Victoria Monsaint-Queeney will discuss how soil forms and how physical, chemical, and biological properties affect soil health. She will also provide a brief overview of nitrogen cycling in soil.
👉Register at https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/T5e2j_eNQNuQwkiEumlztQ

09/28/2026

Learn the basics of soil in next week's webinar!🌿
Good soil is essential to growing food and supporting human and animal life. Join us for this free webinar to learn more about soil properties and soil health. Dr. Victoria Monsaint-Queeney will discuss how soil forms and how physical, chemical, and biological properties affect soil health. She will also provide a brief overview of nitrogen cycling in soil.

📆 Oct. 7, noon - 1 p.m.
👉Register at https://alaska.zoom.us/meeting/register/T5e2j_eNQNuQwkiEumlztQ

09/16/2026

As the summer gardening season comes to a close, greenhouses around Alaska are getting ready to step-up and grow. And the greenhouse operated by the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension (IANRE) on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus is no exception.

The busy season for this greenhouse is winter. Researchers and students use the seven, controlled greenhouse spaces to study how things like length of day, temperature, and light change affect how plants grow. Alaska has such a short growing season that learning to grow food inside is a hot topic in food security research.

Learn more about the IANRE greenhouse here: https://www.uaf.edu/afes/places/greenhouse/

Or build your own with our tips!: https://www.uaf.edu/ces/garden/greenhouses/

The Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension enriches the lives of Alaskans through research, education and outreach grounded in community needs.

Pictured: Greenhouse manager Meriam Karlsson explains current greenhouse research exploring how lettuce grows under different wavelengths of light. Photo courtesy Katrina Paul. September 3, 2026.

09/15/2026

A bouquet is a great way to brighten someone's day. ✨Join us tonight at 6 p.m. to learn to look at your backyard with a florist’s eye. 💐 We will use whatever is blooming in your yard at the time to build bouquets for you to take home. We will guide you through the entire process, from what to look for in your garden to how to build a lush, balanced floral design. 🌷🌾🌿
👉 Register for this free class at loom.ly/NvKxyG4

09/15/2026

Tree-mendous opportunity for anyone interested in lumber drying🪵

Can the addition of a lumber drying kiln improve profitability for Alaska sawmill businesses?

Lumber-drying kilns pair an insulated chamber with precise temperature, humidity, air flow and ventilation controls to speed up the process of drying lumber. The quicker lumber can be dried into a finished marketable product, the better for Alaska lumber businesses.

Are you considering a kiln to expand your business? Are you a hobbyist interested in solar or DIY designs? If you have questions about kilns, operation techniques, or want to inquire about setting up a lumber drying workshop in your community, you can contact Matt Labrenz, Cooperative Extension Wood Products Specialist, at (907) 474 – 7192 or [email protected].

The Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension enriches the lives of Alaskans through research, education and outreach grounded in community needs.

09/14/2026

There's still time for beautiful backyard bouquets!💐Join us tomorrow evening at 6, register at 👉 loom.ly/NvKxyG4

Your backyard might already have the makings of a beautiful bouquet. 💐

Join master florist Paul Marmora for "Urban Harvest: Backyard Florals," a hands-on workshop that turns whatever is blooming in your yard into a lush, balanced floral arrangement to take home.

Bring a vessel, gather flowers and greenery from your yard, and come ready to see familiar plants with a florist’s eye. Paul will guide you from choosing what to cut to bringing it all together in an arrangement. Hosted in partnership with UAF Extension Services.

6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Seed Lab, 111 W. 6th Ave. Free, but space is limited. Sign up and start scouting your backyard for inspiration ➡️ loom.ly/NvKxyG4.

09/14/2026

We had a great day! Thank you to everyone who came out 🍀💚

09/14/2026

❤️🍂

🍂 View of the colorful ridge with the farm and garden buildings from our cover crop plots in the Fairbanks Experiment Farm!

🔎 Did you know that fall foliage changes can make invasive plants in your neighborhood easier to spot? This is called “delayed senescence”. After most of our deciduous trees, shrubs, and other herbaceous plants have turned color and lost their leaves, there are still a few hardy plants and trees that retain their greenery. This is especially true in some nonnative and invasive species where enjoying a longer growing season may allow them to outcompete native plants.

🐛 Pests can also have an impact on fall colors. Have you seen any birches begin to turn earlier than normal and displayed a relatively faded yellow that went quickly to brown? According to the U.S. Forest Service, an ongoing outbreak of the amber-marked birch leafminer and the late birch leaf edgeminers live inside and eat the insides of the leaves during the summer. Leaves damaged by the mining will turn yellow-brown and fall off the tree prematurely. Despite the visual severity of the outbreak, the damage to the trees is usually mostly cosmetic and they should leaf out again just fine next year.

Report any of your fascinating fall findings to your local Cooperative Extension office!

Photo by Melanie Graeff.

09/12/2026

Open House TODAY! 🍀🍀🍀🍀
Learn more about how to get involved with Anchorage 4-H today from 1 to 4 p.m. at 219 International Airport Road.

For more than 100 years, 4‑H has welcomed young people of all beliefs and backgrounds, giving kids a voice to express who they are and how they make their lives and communities better. Through life-changing 4-H programs, nearly six million kids and teens are learning the skills and abilities to be resilient, adaptable and ready for work and life.