Alaska carries the largest share of northern flying squirrel records of any state, concentrated around the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Denali National Park and Preserve, and the boreal spruce forest ringing Fairbanks. That’s the Interior’s core mixed conifer and birch forest, exactly the kind of tall, connected canopy this species needs to glide between trees.
A flying squirrel here dens in old woodpecker holes, tree cavities, or leafy nests, and through Alaska’s cold winters several animals may pack into one den to share body heat rather than truly hibernating. It forages after dark for fungi, seeds, buds, and lichens, and its habit of eating and spreading fungal spores quietly helps the same spruce and birch trees it depends on for shelter.
Records run from July through September and thin out through the darker months, when a nocturnal glider moving through bare winter branches is far harder for anyone to notice. That doesn’t mean the squirrels leave the forest; they’re simply active on a schedule that overlaps little with when people are out looking.
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