Forests dominate the southern and eastern sides of Lake Clark National Park and preserve, while the northern and western sides are primarily tundra with patches of spruce forest at lower elevations. The forests on the coast side of the Chigmit Mountains, where the climate is wetter, tend to be denser, and have larger trees, than the forests in the drier interior.

With forests come the risk of wildfire. Lake Clark forests burn rarely - serious fires are on the order of once every fifty years - but the park has wildfire plans in place nonetheless. For information on various trees and shrubs found in the forest, visit our plants page.