It's frightening. Headlines and graphic illustrations of
all-consuming forest fires raging across our state.
The fear is understandable: we're concerned for valuable timber,
scenic property, cherished homes—and the lives of the people trying to
preserve them.
Fire has forever been a significant part of the ecology of western
forests—our dry summers that contribute to
the conifers' dominance also set the stage for forest fire. In the
last century, major fires cut though our corner of Oregon in 1936 and
1987.
Not all fires are created equal.
The most probable historic pattern is one of rather frequent,
relatively mild "cool" fires with less-common "hot"
fires.
Cool fires flash quickly over the forest floor, exposing the soil,
burning or charring downed woody material—freeing some of the elements
for easier uptake by plants, trimming back small plants and shrubs, and
razing disease organisms. While they can kill small trees, large
trees of many species can weather the ground-hugging cool fires—later to
thrive with the reduced disease and competition.
The more intense, hot fires that kill large trees apparently occurred
less often historically because cool fires clear out much of the tinder
and kindling that would fuel them. But after even the hottest fires,
pioneering plants and seedlings still sprout amid the ashes to start the
next forest generation, the next round of succession.
Certainly, wildlife can succumb to the flames. However, large
animals can often escape small, cool, erratic, or slow-moving fires, and
some small animals can hide out during such events. Even when
individuals of certain species die in a fire, the population may benefit
because the intrusion of fire increases the diversity of forest habitat.
Fire is a more regular forest event in central and eastern Oregon, but
even in coastal forests, hot fires have value to many species. For
example: Douglas firs don't germinate well in loose duff and need the open
sunlight to thrive; standing, fire-killed snags
end up being good homes for a succession of animals.
On the small, steep watersheds of our young
terrain, the mix of common cool fires with occasional hot fires would
produce an especially varied mosaic of forest communities.
In fact, the First People in our region managed these plant communities
by intentionally setting fires to control brush and encourage camas,
hazel, and other edible or useful plants.
While we've worked hard during the last century to suppress all fires,
today "fire ecologists" and some foresters endorse employing
these natural processes by using well-planned, prescribed fires as a
long-term management tool. And, perhaps cool fires can be used to
better manage catastrophic hot fires.
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Visit our pages on related topics:
our regional climate
how our climate effects the
plant communities
thunderstorms
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Wavecrest Discoveries can craft your personal discovery of this
delightful part of our world by customizing one of our distinctive guided
excursions. Our walks, tours,
and special activities are wonderful ways to
explore this fascinating region—and are the
perfect entertainment for guests.
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