You are Here: HOME » Fire and Aviation

Page Tools:

Fire and Aviation

Current Incident Information

Old Groves

"We came to a glorious forest of lofty pines, through which we traveled ten miles. [The ground was] covered with the finest grass.... The forest was perfectly open and unencumbered with brushwood"
(Cooper 1960, p.130).

Lt. Edward Beale made this observation in 1857 as he crossed the high northern plateaus of the Arizona Territory. Yet, Beale's remarks are not unique observations of western forests. Many pioneers described open groves of majestic ponderosa pine towering over a carpet of lush grass (Arno and Fiedler 2005, p.7).

The Role Of Fire

Wildfire has been a natural, frequent and necessary influence on American forests. Tree species evolved depending on fire. Species like lodgepole pine with serotinous cones (pine cones sealed by resin) depend on stand-replacing fires for regeneration. Fire burns very hot through a lodgepole pine stand, killing a majority of the adults and melting the resin off the cones.

This releases the next generation into the soil, now nutrient-rich from the ash. Conversely, ponderosa pine evolved with low intensity, frequent fires of 1-30 year intervals (Arno and Fiedler 2005, p.7). These fires burn coolly along the surface killing off the competition and maintaining a park-like environment. Scientists call this an understory fire regime. It is very common in California and characteristic of most of the Plumas National Forest.

The Concern

In the 1800's, the country was growing and expanding into the West. The need for natural resources, such as timber and grazing was increasing, as was the threat of fire. Railroads, settlers clearing land and campfires sparked fires that threatened and destroyed these natural resources. Therefore in 1908, the newly formed Forest Service began a mission to suppress fires (Arno and Fiedler 2005, p.8).

Today, more than100 years of fire suppression has changed the landscape. Dense thickets of small trees and shrubs have replaced the groves and parks. In addition, the less fire-resistant white fir is slowly replacing the majestic ponderosa pine. There has also been an increase in the amount of dead material littering the forest floor. All of these factors increase the likelihood for very intense, stand-destroying fires.

Restoring The Groves

The intent of the Plumas National Forest is to restore the forest as near as possible to a pre-settlement structure of the forest and provide for the safety of the communities in the area. In order to do this we must reduce the amount of flammable material that has accumulated in the forest.

In recent years, the Plumas National Forest has been using controlled burning to help reduce these fuels. Controlled burns generally occur in the spring and fall when the fuels on the ground are relatively wet. This is done to ensure the controlled fires do not burn as hot as they would if started in the summer. The cooler spring and fall fires are sufficient to consume a majority of the woody material on the ground without killing the big trees. On occasion, the fire kills patches of dense small trees.

Historically, small openings were necessary to promote regeneration and the continuation of the species. These openings are usually no bigger than two acres, allowing the overstory trees to reseed. Another reason prescribed burning is done during the spring and fall is that it is safer since fires are less likely to escape.
In the spring and fall, residents and visitors may note smoke from the prescribed burning being conducted on the forest.

The Plumas National Forest takes great care when burning so the fire does not escape and smoke in and around communities is minimized. Therefore, burning is done during weather events, which will help disperse the smoke. Such events would be approaching storm fronts or when it is raining or snowing. Yet, burning at anytime produces smoke that can impact communities. For example, smoke may settle in the communities in the evening and then by mid-morning the next day it is gone.

The Plumas National Forest working with the Air Quality Control Board carefully monitors these inversion events and adjusts the burning accordingly. The Plumas National Forest takes great care when burning to minimize smoke in and around communities. By reducing the fuels in the forest, we will help protect communities from destructive wildfires and begin to restore the forest to the park-like groves as experienced by early settlers.

 

B.A.E.R Teams

While many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to the land or people downstream, some fires cause damage that requires special efforts to prevent problems afterwards. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion, water runoff may increase and cause flooding, sediments may move downstream and damage houses or fill reservoirs, and put endangered species and community water supplies at risk. The Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) program is designed to address these situations.

Read More