The Wildland Fire Challenge: Protecting Communities and Restoring Ecosystems

The wildland fire crisis Virtually every North American ecosystem has experienced fire over its evolutionary history. In regions such as subalpine forests where precipitation was high and temperatures low, fire was an infrequent visitor; periodic drought and hot weather were required to dry vegetation enough to burn. Between infrequent fires, fuels built up naturally to high levels, ensuring that when fire did return, it was big and hot. In other regions, such as southwestern ponderosa pine forests where “fire weather” is common, fire burned frequently enough to keep fuels from amassing, consuming mostly grass and other surface vegetation. With the arrival of Euroamerican settlers, land-use patterns changed dramatically. Eastern forests were cleared for agriculture; in the West, vast herds of livestock consumed grasses; across the co n t i n e n t , f i re suppre s s i o n became the norm (Figure 1). Where fire was infrequent, these practices left vegetation and f i re regimes essentially unchange d , but in areas with more frequent fire, tree seedlings grew into dense forests capable of carrying roaring crown fires on lands where surface fire once prevailed (Figure 2). More people built houses in fire’s way, especially in the growing western states, where settlement encroached on some of the region’s most fire-prone, lowelevation forest lands. In addition, current drought has increased both the frequency and severity of wildland fires. In 2000 and again in 2002, western states witnessed the largest fires in more than a century. Many burned adjacent to, and sometimes in, communities, resulting in the tragic loss of homes and lives. In response, organizations and governments at all levels pro d u ced a number of policy initiatives to try to reverse the trend. The National Fire Plan (USFS/ DOI 2000), developed in response to the 2000 fire season, recommended reducing fire risks, working with local communities, and improving agency accountability. In 2002, in a process facilitated by the Fire Management