About Forest Fires

Not all fires in the forest are bad. Light, periodic burning clears out buildups of downed trees and other “fuels,” creating browse for elk and deer, thinning out undesirable competition so that older, more fire-resistant species can thrive, and providing other services in a healthy ecosystem.

But often fuels have built up over too many decades. When high temperatures combine with a lack of moisture, a little wind, and a dense canopy of flammable trees— look out!

When a large wildfire rages through a forest, it can generate temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees, the per acre equivalent to an atomic explosion. In the wake of a fire like this, only blackened skeletons of trees remain. Trees both large and small are gone, nutrients stored in leaves and branches are volatilized, seed sources are burned up, soil binding roots deteriorate, and even soil organisms are destroyed. The land is left virtually lifeless.

The challenge of managing wildland fire in the United States has dramatically increased in recent years. Large wildfires now threaten millions of acres of public and private land, particularly in areas where vegetation patterns have been altered by development, land-use practices, and aggressive fire suppression. .

The devastation of forest fires.