Fire protection and resource management: a necessary alliance

Fire protection isn't all red engines and emergency response. It's also science, planning, creativity, and vision.

We are all aware that fire is a fact of life in California but, like earthquakes and computer crashes, it's easy to ignore the danger and hope the Big One won't happen on our watch.

But optimism (or ostrich behavior) has limited success. Over the last several years, fires have gotten increasingly catastrophic and expensive to fight. At the same time, population in the wildland intermix is growing exponentially, increasing the threat of ignitions while putting more lives and property at risk.

We have a problem. We can't afford to continue business as usual nor can we afford catastrophic fires. How to address the situation is an issue that involves everyone: landowners, scientists, fire fighting and resource agencies, environmentalists, everyone who cares about the health of our state and forestland.

There are no simple answers either. The issues are incredibly complex as are the solutions. All involve trade-offs, uncertainty, and risk.

Where we are

The last century has seen a deterioration in forest health. Fire suppression, forest practices, grazing, and weather have all contributed to this situation. Descriptions of Sierra Nevada forests by early visitors describe an open, park-like forest with large trees and little understory. Fires came through at frequent intervals, probably an average of 6-20 years, clearing out the undergrowth and smaller trees. Large fires were uncommon because the fuel load was low. Contrast that to today's forests: thick with small trees and brush, fuel ladders that lead fire into the crowns of trees, dense accumulation of debris on the ground--all contributing to the danger of high intensity fire.

After a century of fire suppression, a new understanding is emerging that fire is necessary and beneficial to the forest. Low-intensity fire cleans the forest, removing debris, brush, and small trees, making nutrients more available for the soil, and providing a natural thinning process for larger trees. Small fires also create a mosaic of habitats within a forest which can increase wildlife diversity.

High intensity fires, on the other hand, can sterilize the soil of beneficial organisms and even change soil characteristics, resulting in increased runoff and erosion. When fires burn over large areas, recolonization by plants and animals takes longer. All of this increases the recovery time of the forest. Catastrophic fires are considered to be one of the greatest threats to forests today.

Where we are going

Fire management is a vastly different approach from suppression. It recognizes the inevitability and desirability of fire, then seeks to find ways to allow fire while protecting those values we care about. It is a proactive approach that attempts to decrease the damage from wildfire before it occurs. It is a creative strategy that uses the most current scientific information to make difficult decisions.

Simply allowing fires to burn unchecked is one management option, but one that carries a very large cost. Because of the large accumulation of live and dead fuels in our forests, fires can easily become infernos which are very destructive to the forest ecosystem. In addition, homes in the intermix put lives and property at risk--an unacceptable risk to those living there.

Can we allow our forests to return to a more natural fire cycle? That is the goal: frequent low-intensity fires that singe but do not kill the mature trees while providing the benefits of fire. Unfortunately, because the risk of conflagration is so great, many forests must be treated before a fire can safely be allowed to burn. There are a number of pre-fire treatment methods available.

Mechanical fuel treatments involve such activities as thinning and pruning to remove excess fuel and fuel ladders. The material removed can then be chipped, burned, or converted to fuel or other forest products.

Prescribed burning is another technique that is often used. Prescribed fires are intentionally set under closely monitored conditions to burn at low intensity. These fires provide the benefits of cleansing the forest floor and releasing nutrients while protecting the forest from larger wildfires by removing excess fuel.

None of these solutions is without controversy. Thinning changes the appearance of the forest, which some find objectionable. Prescribed fire can have a negative affect on air quality and always carries the risk of escaping out of control. These concerns must be addressed when making fuel management decisions.

Fuel management does not mean that all areas need to be treated. This is neither desirable nor economically feasible. Instead, strategic areas are identified and treated. The decisions depend on the values to be protected in the specific area.

Today, much of the decisionmaking is done by community groups, with the assistance of resource agencies such as CDF. Fire Safe Councils, of which there are currently about 90 in California, are volunteer, nonprofit organizations that set priorities, plan projects, find funding, and carry out on-the-ground activities to reduce the threat of wildfire.

To get involved in fuel management decisions in your area, contact your local CDF Unit or call the California Forest Stewardship Helpline, 1-800-738-TREE. Or contact the the California Fire Safe Council .