Fire and Aviation
Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness Wildland Fire Use
Site
Salmon-Challis NF, Payette NF, Nez Perce NF, Bitterroot
NF
Fire is a powerful force - out of place, out of proportion, or
out of control, fire poses a serious threat to human life and property,
and to our natural resources. But many of the forests in the United
States are indeed born of fire. Forests are natural systems of living
things, fire is a natural force, and the two have grown up together
over the last 12,000 years. Many fires in the Western U.S. are started
by lightning. In some parts of the West, lightning is as much a
part of the natural scene as forests are.
Through centuries of frequent fire influence, certain plant species
and forest communities became adapted to cope with - and even benefit
from - wildfire. Many plants now inhabit areas where fire does not
mean destruction - it means survival.
Fire causes some important changes in forest systems. It creates
openings in the forest, and converts mineral-storing parts of plants
(the stems, leaves, bark, and duff) to ash. In ash form, most of
these essential mineral nutrients are dissolved by rain and snow
and returned to the soil - recycled for use. Plants in forests born
of fire take full advantage of these changes.
Flowering plants successfully establish themselves on burned areas,
flourishing in full sunlight and thriving in the lack of competition
from other vegetation. Many seeds will not sprout when they fall
in a shaded or crowded area. Wildlife often "pioneer"
a recent burn; many birds and small mammals depend on the seeds
they find there after a fire.
The seeds of Ceanothus, an important food plant for deer and elk,
can remain stored in the forest duff for decades. These seeds are
free to germinate when fire conditions the seed coat and changes
the duff to ash. Many pine trees have cones that open when mature.
On some pines, however, the majority of cones remain closed. They
open and release seeds only when they're heated - they're fire-dependent.
Even seeds that have been held in cones for 50 years can survive
the short exposure to high temperatures that's generated by low-intensity
ground fires. Ponderosa pine and Western larch trees have a thick
bark that insulates their inner tissues from heat. These trees often
survive many fires, and the changes that fire brings to the forest
provide the right conditions for seed germination.
People, too, are very much a part of the forest system. Demands
for forest resources are constantly increasing, and the national
forests are managed to meet those demands. Fire is just one part
of forest management, and how a fire is managed depends on where
it is and what kind of fire it is and what resources are at risk.
Wilderness areas, for example, are managed to perpetuate natural
conditions. In some such areas, ecosystem management may dictate
that fire resumes its centuries-long role.
While fire has many beneficial effects when it's carefully and
professionally managed, it can also wreak havoc on forest systems
not adapted to fire. Our applications of fire, both naturally ignited
and prescribed, will consider the effects of smoke on air quality,
the lives and resources at risk, and the benefits to the lands we
care for.
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