Keynote address: the role of silviculture in restoring fire-adapted ecosystems

Abstract

Across the drier forests of the western United States, historical fire was a natural silvicultural process--thinning stands from below, cleaning surface fuels, and maintaining fire-resilient conditions. The 20th century fire exclusion policy, although initiated with the best of intentions, has been a disaster in dry forests, converting them to high-severity fire regimes. Restoring fire-safe forests will require the use of fire or silvicultural options that mimic fire to reduce surface fuels, reduce ladder fuels, and reduce crown density, while in the process retaining the largest, most wildfire-tolerant trees. Challenges include the lack of markets for small material, perceived environmental effects of large-scale operations, and the need to act within a global warming context.

Parent Publication

• Restoring fire-adapted ecosystems: proceedings of the 2005 national silviculture workshop

Citation

Agee, James K. 2007. Keynote address: the role of silviculture in restoring fire-adapted ecosystems. In: Powers, Robert F., tech. editor. Restoring fire-adapted ecosystems: proceedings of the 2005 national silviculture workshop. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-203, Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: p. ix-xviii