Fanning the Flames: The Importance of Fire in Land Management
In 2020, 10.3 million acres have burned. A new record, and the third year in a row that fires have surpassed 10 million acres. People’s lives and homes were lost and once beautiful, scenic patches of nature are now scorched. But as far as the fire dependent ecosystems, they’re exhaling a smoky sigh of relief.
Fire has always been a natural part of many ecosystems. From the dry shrublands of California to the longleaf pine savannas of South Carolina, fires are a necessary process to keep these ecosystems thriving. Ever since humans first harnessed the power of fire, we have been using it to increase the control we have on the world around us. From keeping warm in the winter, heating food, protecting ourselves from predators, and eventually changing landscapes, humans and fire have evolved to form an unbreakable bond.
Fire is part of the historical fabric of America. Indigenous peoples have been using fires to clear land to make dense areas accessible, facilitate agriculture, and encourage certain plants to grow both for tribal use and to attract game. This continued until the beginnings of European colonization. In the hand of fearful Europeans, management methods used to preserve ecosystems and support wildlife and game populations changed drastically to include extensive logging, land clearing, and fire suppression. And where there is fire suppression, catastrophic fire is likely to follow.
Fastforward to 1910. The “Big Blowup,” multiple forest fires that burned 3 million acres across Montana, Idaho, and Washington in only two days, had a profound effect on fire policy. The national Forest Service felt that if they had had enough manpower and equipment, they could have prevented the devastation. That to stop this from happening again, total fire suppression was the only option.
From then on, America’s fear of fire only increased. In 1942, when Japanese submarines began firing incendiary shells that exploded very close to the Los Padres National Forest in California, the protection of our forests became an issue of national security. It was out of this incident that America’s favorite uniformed bear came into the spotlight.
With Smokey Bear leading the charge of more agressive fire suppression, our forests began to change. Fire tolerant species are no longer dominant, the stability of forest habitat is altered for species that rely on it, and the effect that is most obvious and destructive — the buildup of fuel on the forest floor.
Because of our extreme fire suppression over the years, so much leaf litter and debris has built up on the forest floors that when a fire does ignite, it has enough fuel to burn large and hot, too much for even the most fire loving species to handle. These types of fire are not only too much for the wildlife to handle, but also for us. When a fire becomes out of control, we lose much more than the forest.
So what’s to be done? Research into the positive role of fire in forest ecology in the 1960s led to the Forest Service to change its policies in 1970. They now enforced a policy of to let natural caused fires burn, when appropriate. The policy has evolved since and now has to take into account urban sprawl in what is called the wildland-urban interface.
Finally, after so many years of fire fear and suppression, the role of prescribed fires in ecosystem management has increased, and even Smokey Bear is on board. The Forest Service lists prescribed fire as one of their management tools in order to reduce fuel buildup, minimize spread of pests, remove unwanted species from an ecosystem, promote the growth of tree and flowers, and reduce the risk of unwanted fires in the future.
Although fires can be destructive and devastating for humans, many other communities in our ecosystem see things differently. And ironically, the way to prevent fires, is to let them burn in the first place. While there is still much to be done and likely more destructive fires to come, we’re catching up. And with less fear, more research, and productive management we can use fire to our advantage and achieve healthier ecosystems and a safer environment for all.
