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FUELS
& FIRES
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Many people have discovered
that living in or on the edges of
forests around the country can be
an exciting and rewarding experience.
But homes and other buildings in these
areas, which we call the urban-wildland
interface, can be at risk from the
periodic fires. |
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When areas of forests or grasslands burn, we call
those fires wildland fires. They are naturally
occurring disturbances that play an integral role
in vegetation development throughout numerous
ecosystems worldwide. These fires are prevalent
in forests and grasslands in the western half
of the United States where large, continuous areas
of uninterrupted natural landscapes exist in arid
and semi-arid conditions, but occur every place
where there are large stands of trees.
Wildland fires can become a problem when they
burn hotter than normally occurring wildland fires
and/or on areas larger than normal. These hotter
and bigger fires are now more prevalent following
a century of human activities that have changed
the ecological character of forest ecosystems
around the country. These large-scale, high-intensity
fires can have negative effects on forest ecosystems
and local communities.
The National Forest Foundation is committed to
helping communities deal with catastrophic wildland
fires through education programs and funding that
supports forest health restoration and post fire
recovery for communities.
Wildland fires, while essential to the health
of our forests, can cause several problems for
nearby communities, including: soil erosion, landslides,
water pollution, decreased (and sometimes dangerous)
air quality, threats to human safety and structures,
and loss of resources or access to resources,
such as timber for logging and trails and waterways
for recreation. In turn, these problems can have
drastic effects on local economies, including
significant impacts to natural resources. These
problems have been magnified by more than a century
of fire suppression and by past management practices
and the current drought.
As Americans began settling the western half of
this country, towns grew up around the forested
mountains, which provided the economic base for
the region’s development. Fires in nearby
forests were suppressed to protect both the communities
and the resource base. This absence of fire allowed
a build-up of dead woody materials, which was
otherwise removed by fires. Additionally, forests
that were clear cut grew back all at once, creating
thick forests of trees that were of similar size
and age. These, too, were not allowed to burn.
For many of these western forests, drought is
as big a part of their lives as fires once were.
When conditions are right, a single bolt of lighting
or a careless human could spark a fire that can
grow to cover enormous areas of land. These fires
burn hotter and longer than naturally occurring
wildland fires with more devastating effects on
the landscape and surrounding communities.
Ecological problems continue once fires have stopped
burning. Soil that was held in place by trees
and other vegetation is likely to wash away into
waterways during rainstorms or with next year’s
runoff. This surge of soil and ash into waterways
can harm fish and other aquatic species of plants
and animals as well as drinking water supplies.
Past experience has shown us that a quick response
can help minimize the negative ecological and
economic effects of wildland fires, including
loss of jobs, soil erosion and water pollution.
Techniques such as soil stabilization and replanting
can dramatically reduce soil erosion and water
pollution, and also can provide jobs lost during
the fires.
The
role of fires:
The positive effects of natural wildland
fires are crucial to ecosystem and watershed
health. They include:
- Removing dead, diseased, insect-infected
or weakened trees and other vegetation.
- Creating openings within forests so
that sunlight reaches the forest floor,
which helps plant and tree sprouts grow
and mature.
- Stimulating new growth from seeds
that need the fire's intense heat to
begin germination.
- Creating new wildlife habitat.
- Regenerating soil nutrients.
- Removing excessive fuel loads, which
if left to accumulate, will create dangerous
and destructive conflagrations that
can cause irreversible damage to landscapes.
Minimizing
the risks
Fire suppression robs our forests of a vital
part of their lifecycle, increases the risks
associated with wildland fires, and costs
taxpayers vast sums of money. Measures to
minimize these large fires and to decrease
the danger and negative effects of natural
fires to our communities include:
- Allow smaller fires to burn when possible.
- Be mindful of where and with what
materials we build homes and other structures
so as to minimize the threat to these
buildings in the wildland-urban interface.
- Reduce the fuel loads in our forests
through thinning, prescribed fires and
other sustainable forestry techniques.
- Employ sound forestry and ecological
management practices based on good science.
- Create community-based fire plans,
which include setting priorities on
where to do fuels reductions and determining
evacuation plans to make communities
more prepared in the event a large-scale
fire occurs.
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