Smoke considerations for using fire in maintaining healthy forest ecosystems

Abstract

Fire is the single most important ecological disturbance process throughout the interior Pacific Northwest (Mutch and others 1993; Agee 1994). It is also a natural process that helps maintain a diverse ecological landscape. Fire suppression and timber harvesting have drastically altered this process during the past 50 to 90 years. Natural resource specialists generally agree that the forests of the interior Pacific Northwest are less healthy, less diverse, and more susceptible to larger and more destructive wildfires as a result of this human intervention (Everett 1994). Analysis of current and historical aerial photographs for the East Side Forest Health Assessment (Huffand others 1995) indicates there has been an increase in forest fuels, crown fire potential, and smoke production potential since the 1930's brought on by selective logging and fire suppression activities. In addition, acres burned by wildfires across Washington and Oregon on USDA Forest Service lands have been increasing (fig. 1).

Parent Publication

• The use of fire in forest restoration

Citation

Ottmar, Roger D.; Schaaf, Mark D.; Alvarado, Ernesto. 1996. Smoke considerations for using fire in maintaining healthy forest ecosystems. In: Hardy, Colin C.; Arno, Stephen F., eds. The use of fire in forest restoration. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-341. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. p. 24-25.