Why fire experts are hopeful

Wildfire scientists dispel common misconceptions about forest management, detailing what needs to change and why it’s urgent.

 

Don Gentry, Klamath tribal chairman (left) and Steve Rondeau, director of the Tribes’ natural resources department look over maps of the region during a visit to sites burned by the Bootleg Fire. The Bootleg Fire, which burned more than 413,000 acres, erupted about 25 miles from the Klamath tribal headquarters in Chiloquin, Oregon. It destroyed much of the ancestral homelands of the Klamath Tribes, which is made up of the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin People.

This year’s fire season broke records: In July, the National Interagency Fire Center raised its preparedness level to Level 5, the most critical status possible, indicating that 80% of all wildfire fighting resources nationwide were already allocated. It remained there for 69 days, the longest stretch ever. Firefighting resources were stretched thin and communities engulfed by flames, while people thousands of miles away inhaled smoke. In early August, U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore called this wildfire season a “national crisis” and temporarily suspended some resource-heavy management practices, including prescribed fires. He also stopped the practice of letting some blazes burn — a calculated risk, since such fires could balloon into bigger, more dangerous ones that require much larger crews to put out.

Wildfire scientists say there’s a better way. A team of more than three dozen people from universities, conservation groups and government labs published an unusual trio of scientific papers in August in the journal Ecological Applications. Together, the studies are meant to provide a roadmap for how land managers and policymakers can move from passive to proactive wildfire and forest management.

Climate change is clearly setting the stage for hotter, drier summers, more flammable forests and, consequently, more frequent and damaging fires. “We’re living in and literally breathing climate change through wildfires,” said Susan Prichard, a forest ecologist at the University of Washington, who was a co-lead author on the papers. But, she said, there are ways to reduce some of the harmful impacts. “I’d love to translate that into practical tools for managers, and also let the public know that it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to adapting forests to climate change.”

Still, no one thing is guaranteed to work in every forest. For example, the thin-barked, higher-elevation lodgepole pines in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem respond differently to fire than the Douglas fir and ponderosa pines in the Eastern Cascades. But after reviewing more than 1,000 papers representing over a century of research and observations, the researchers concluded there are several strategies that can make wildfires less destructive under certain circumstances. These include thinning dense forests that haven’t recently burned, removing some flammable shrubs and bushes, allowing wildfires to burn when conditions are appropriate, and ramping up Indigenous fire stewardship practices, including prescribed burns. If forests are managed well, they’ll still burn — but the fires won’t be so devastating.

“... it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to adapting forests to climate change.”

The Bootleg Fire burned Fremont-Winema National Forest in August, but areas where the U.S. Forest Service and the Klamath Tribes had conducted thinning and prescribed burns (background) were less damaged than adjacent sites (foreground).

One paper takes a non-traditional approach: It’s formatted in a “frequently asked questions” style that clearly states the benefits and limitations of management practices like thinning and prescribed burns. Can thinning alone mitigate wildfire hazards? Usually not; the technique is most effective when coupled with prescribed burns. Which is the primary problem driving destructive wildfires — climate change, or extra fuel, meaning burnable vegetation like trees, tree needles, grasses and shrubs? Neither; the answer is both. Can wildfires do the work of fuel treatments on their own? Not always; that’s too simplistic, Prichard said. The fires that do end up burning in the height of fire season are too big, too hot and too severe to help keep an ecosystem healthy.

So, if we know what works, why isn’t it happening? “That’s the million-dollar question,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension in Humboldt County and the director of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council. “The holdup is so multifaceted.” Hurdles include getting vast numbers of private landowners to work together and understand what they need to do, dealing with federal and state regulatory barriers, permitting red tape, an insufficient federal workforce, a lack of funding, the risks stemming from liability and insurance policies, and a deeply ingrained fire suppression mentality.

Considering that laundry list of barriers, there’s a fear that adapting Western forests to climate change will prove almost impossible. Yet experts are hopeful. “We can wrap our mind around having prescribed fire on a given ranch, but it’s pretty overwhelming when thinking about the entire West,” Quinn-Davidson said. “(But) if we break it down, thinking about forests and communities and what we want to persist, I think it’s doable.” While no solution will be fast, cheap or smoke-free, Prichard said, “the biggest risk we’re taking right now is to continue kicking the can down the road.”   

Kylie Mohr is an editorial intern for High Country News writing from Montana. Email her at [email protected] or submit a letter to the editor.

 

High Country News Classifieds
  • CONSERVATION EASEMENT PROGRAM MANAGER
    We are seeking a dedicated natural resources professional to lead FRLT's Conservation Easement Stewardship Program. This position is responsible for maintaining professional working relationships with...
  • PUBLIC PROGRAMS MANAGER
    We are looking for a hands-on leader to bring our public programs to life in Sierra Valley and across the Watershed. This role offers a...
  • MATADOR RANCH MANAGER
    The Matador Ranch Manager directs operations, communication, and maintenance for TNC Montana's Matador Ranch preserve with a focus on ecological management and restoration, grazing management,...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - THRIVE HOOD RIVER (OREGON)
    Thrive Hood River (Oregon) is looking for a collaborative leader who cares deeply about Hood River's wild places, farmland and the quality of life in...
  • NORTHERN NEW MEXICO PROJECT MANAGER
    Seeking qualified Northern New Mexico Project Manager to provide expertise, leadership and support to the organization by planning, cultivating, implementing and managing land conservation activities....
  • NORTH FORK RECREATION DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR
    The NFPPRD District Administrator provides leadership and managerial services associated with the Recreation District. Facilities include a seasonal pool, ballfields, bike trails, tennis/pickleball and skateboarding....
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BADLANDS CONSERVATION ALLIANCE
    The Executive Director of the Badlands Conservation Alliance (BCA) builds and leads a premiere North Dakota advocacy group that serves to protect the ecology of...
  • CLIMATE FELLOW
    Application deadline: Monday, March 6th, 2023, at 5 p.m. MST. Anticipated start date: May 15, 2023 About the position Are you ready to craft an...
  • RISING LEADERS MANAGER
    Application deadline: Monday, March 27, 2023, at 5 p.m. MST Anticipated start date: May 22 or May 30, 2023 About the position Do you want...
  • SENIOR SPECIALIST, LANDSCAPE CONNECTIVITY YELLOWSTONE TO YUKON CONSERVATION INITIATIVE
    About the Organization Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a joint Canada-U.S. not-for-profit organization with a mission to connect and protect wildlife habitat from...
  • VIRGINIA SPENCER DAVIS FELLOWSHIP
    High Country News, an award-winning magazine covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, seeks applicants for a Virginia Spencer Davis fellow. The...
  • GRANTS MANAGER
    The Grants Manager is a passionate information manager, fundraiser, and communicator versed in government and foundation grant and cooperative agreement writing and management, specifically to...
  • COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
    The Communications Director is a passionate communications professional versed in conservation and regenerative agriculture, as well as nonprofit communications and data management across several program...
  • EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAM DIRECTOR
    The Education and Outreach Director is a people-oriented facilitator, communications wizard, and team leader who has experience designing, managing, and fundraising for land based educational...
  • ADOBE HOME FOR SALE
    Restored traditional adobe home in No. New Mexico on 1+ acre site, irrigation water, separate large shop/studio. Please email for photos/full description.
  • HIGH COUNTRY NEWS EDITORIAL INTERNS
    High Country News, an award-winning magazine covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, is looking for its next cohort of editorial interns....
  • DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SPECIALIST
    hat We Can Achieve Together: If you are a detailed individual that takes pride in your accuracy, this position may be the perfect opportunity for...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - LEMHI COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY (SALMON, IDAHO)
    Are you ready to take the reins at Lemhi County Humane Society and make a difference in the lives of countless animals? We are seeking...
  • ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSTRUCTION GEOPHYSICS
    We characterize contaminated sites, identify buried drums, tanks, debris and also locate groundwater.
  • WESTERN NATIVE SEED
    Native plant seeds for the Western US. Trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers and regional mixes. Call or email for free price list. 719-942-3935. [email protected] or visit...