Effectiveness of thinning and prescribed fire treatments in the 2021 Antelope Fire

Many forests are denser and more fuel loaded today than they were historically and therefore prone to burning at higher severity in wildfires. However, consensus of what to do to counter this challenge is still lacking. Does thinning the forest reduce fire severity, or will opening up a stand instead dry out forest fuels and increase fire severity? Does prescribed fire really help moderate fire behavior? The 2021 Antelope Fire on the Klamath National Forest burned through a large silviculture study with replicated thinning and burning treatments, and provided one of the best tests to date about how treating fuels influences wildfire outcomes. Dr. Knapp will share findings of the study, recently published in the journal Fire Ecology.