Synopses & Reviews
Shaped by fire for thousands of years, the forests of the western United States are as adapted to periodic fires as they are to the region's soils and climate. Our widespread practice of ignoring the vital role of fire is costly in both ecological and economic terms, with consequences including the decline of important fire-dependent tree and undergrowth species, increasing density and stagnation of forests, epidemics of insects and diseases, and the high potential for severe wildfires.
Flames in Our Forest explains those problems and presents viable solutions to them. It explores the underlying historical and ecological reasons for the problems associated with our attempts to exclude fire and examines how some of the benefits of natural fire can be restored Chapters consider:
- the history of American perceptions and uses of fire in the forest
- how forest fires burn
- effects of fire on the soil, water, and air
- methods for uncovering the history and effects of past fires
- prescribed fire and fuel treatments for different zones in the landscape
Flames in Our Forest presents a new picture of the role of fire in maintaining forests, describes the options available for restoring the historical effects of fires, and considers the implications of not doing so. It will help readers appreciate the importance of fire in forests and gives a nontechnical overview of the scientific knowledge and tools available for sustaining western forests by mimicking and restoring the effects of natural fire regimes.
Synopsis
Flames in Our Forest explores the underlying historical and ecological reasons for the problems associated with our attempts to exclude fire and examines how some of the benefits of natural fire can be restored. The book also offers candid commentary on wildland fire management practices and policies.
Table of Contents
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why Learn about Fire?
Wildland Forests and Their Fires
Eliminating Fire
Understanding Fire in the Forest
Restoring Fire
Mixed Signals: A Brief History of American
Perceptions of Fire
Accepting Risk and Adapting to Fire: Ancient Times
10 1910
Suppression versus Light Burning: 1910 to 1935
The War on Fire and the Rise of Prescribed Burning:
1935 to 1978
Foresters Accept Fire, Society Resists: 1978 to Present
Managing Fuels and Fire or Unwinnable War: The Future
Fire on the Landscape: Past, Present,
and Future
Fires in the Past: Widespread Burning
Recent and Future Fires: An Upward Trend
Fire Behavior: Why and How Fire Burns
The Combustion Triangle
Fuels
Heat
Oxygen
The Fire Behavior Triangle
Wildland Fuels
Weather
Topography
Types of Fire
Fire Effects in a Stand
Fire Effects on the Landscape
Thinking about Fire Behavior
Nature's Creative Force: How Fire Shapes
the Forest
Adaptations of Trees
Fire-Susceptible Trees
Generalists
Fire-Dependent Trees
Adaptations of Undergrowth Plants
Survivors
Colonizers
Effects on Wildlife
Different Forests, Different Fires
Understory Fire Regime
Ponderosa Pine
Oregon White Oak
Redwood
Mixed Fire Regime
Mixed Conifer
Coastal Douglas-Fir
Inland Douglas-Fir
Lodgepole Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Ponderosa Pine Riparian
Stand-Replacement Fire Regime
Coastal Douglas-Fir
Lodgepole Pine
Whitebark Pine
Importance of Fire Regimes
Environmental Impacts: Fire's Influence
on Soils, Water, and Air
Fire and Erosion
Fire and Stream Habitat
Fire and Soil Fertility
Maintaining Native Plant Communities
Rehabilitation to Prevent Erosion
Fire and Air Pollution
Managing Fire's Impacts
Fire History: Discovering Effects of Past Fires
in a Forest
A Bygone Forest
History in an Ancient Stump
Looking for Clues
The Merits of Stumps
Single Fire Scars
Multiple Fire Scars
Sampling Stumps
Fire-Initiated Age Classes of Trees
Reconstructing Old Forests
Practical Use of Fire History
Fire-Prone Forests: Can We Adapt
to Them?
Prophets of Prescribed Fire
Forestry Accepts Fire, but Other Barriers Emerge
Fuels Management
The Residential Forest
The General Forest
Wilderness and Natural Areas
Our Progress Report
Restoring Nature's Creative Force
The "No Action" Alternative
Juggling Natural Fires
Hazard Reduction Zones
Forested Fuelbreaks
Area-Wide Fuel Reduction
Insight from Fire Effects
Creative Concepts for Forest Restoration
Managing Wildlife Fuels
around Homes
The Surviving Home in a Seared Forest
At Home in the Fire-Dependent Woods
Protecting the Homesite
Protecting the Home Forest
Restoration Methods
Uneven-aged Management Around Homes
Fuel Treatments
Rewards for the Homeowner
Lessons from Nature: Will We Learn?
The Choice of Fire Exclusion
A Chance to Reconsider
If We Stick with Fire Exclusion
Wildlife Emergencies
Environmental Damage
Wasted Money
If We Choose Responsible Action
Appendix: Getting Help: Information and Educational Resources
for Forest Landowners
References
About the Authors
Index