Chapter 6. Modeling human impacts to the Borderlands environment from a fire ecology perspective

Abstract

Theoretical and topical orientations in current archaeology address the interaction between past human populations and their environment. These themes reflect ecological frameworks that were incorporated into the social sciences by the 1950s, as exemplified by the influential publication, Man?s Role in Changing the Face of the Earth (Thomas 1956). Cultural practices for actively manipulating targeted species and ultimately modifying vegetation structure have been highlighted in recent studies of foraging societies and have gained recognition as key processes in the transition from hunting and gathering to farming economies (for example, Hillman and Harris 1989; Price and Gebauer 1995; Smith 1992). From this background of such interests, archaeologists are increasingly involved in examining the relationships between prehistoric peoples and precontact vegetation on what are now public lands in the United States.

Parent Publication

• Prehistory and early history of the Malpai Borderlands: Archaeological synthesis and recommendations

Citation

Fish, Suzanne K. 2006. Chapter 6. Modeling human impacts to the Borderlands environment from a fire ecology perspective. In: Fish, Paul R.; Fish, Suzanne K.; Madsen, John H. 2006. Prehistory and early history of the Malpai Borderlands: Archaeological synthesis and recommendations. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-176. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 63-70