Continuing fire regimes in remote forests of Grand Canyon National Park

Abstract

Ponderosa pine forests in which frequent fire regimes continue up to the present would be invaluable points of reference for assessing natural ecological attributes. A few remote forests on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park come close to this ideal: never-harvested, distant from human communities and fire suppression resources, and with several low-intensity fires in the past century—a highly unusual recent fire regime in the Southwest. Recent fires appear to have played a crucial role in preventing the increases in forest density that characterize most southwestern pine forests. The study sites are not unaffected by the ecological changes associated with settlement, but they do present an important reference resource for study and management of ponderosa pine ecosystems.

Parent Publication

• Wilderness science in a time of change conference-Volume 5: Wilderness ecosystems, threats, and management; 1999 May 23-27; Missoula, MT

Citation

Fule, Peter Z.; Heinlein, Thomas A.; Covington, W. Wallace; Moore, Margaret H. 2000. Continuing fire regimes in remote forests of Grand Canyon National Park. In: Cole, David N.; McCool, Stephen F.; Borrie, William T.; O’Loughlin, Jennifer, comps. 2000. Wilderness science in a time of change conference-Volume 5: Wilderness ecosystems, threats, and management; 1999 May 23–27; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 242-248