Tested by fire: the cone fire and the lessons of an accidental experiment

Abstract

Catastrophic wildfires burn every year in the forests of the Western United States. In the past, low-intensity wildfires were common and played an important ecological role that benefited these forests. But fire suppression policies over the last century have interrupted natural fire regimes. As a result, forests that were once characterized by an open structure and large trees are now densely packed with underbrush and smaller trees. As a further consequence, fires today tend to be uncharacteristically intense and destructive. Fire management treatments that reduce fuels through thinning and prescribed burning have proven to decrease wildfire severity.

Citation

Maleki, Sussanne; Featured: Skinner, Carl; Ritchie, Martin. 2007. Tested by fire: the cone fire and the lessons of an accidental experiment. Science Perspective PSW-SP-008. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 6 p