Education

Forest Fire

By Steve Nix, About.com Guide

The very foundation of fire ecology is the premise that the forest fire is neither innately destructive nor in the best interest of every forest. Fire causes change and change has its own value. Preventing uncontrolled fire, controlling managed fire and dealing with escaped fire are all essential parts of any wildfire campaign.

Fighting Wildfire
Wildfire Tragedies
Prescribed Fire in the Forest
Smokey Bear

Fighting Wildfire

Fighting uncontrolled wildland fire is extremely complex and potentially very dangerous. The complexities of forest fire fighting exist on both a biological and political level. Understanding how fires are fought, how fires are managed and the usefulness of fire in the wild is critical to dealing with wildfire.

Wildfire Tragedies

The United States Forest Service and the American states report more than 100,000 wildfires every year. The most devastating fire in U.S history in terms of human lives and property was in Peshtigo, Wisconsin which killed 1,300 people and burned more than 1 million acres. Wildfire is a serious matter. I present some tragic examples of how a forest fire can go wrong and how we can learn from wildfire fatalities.

Prescribed Fire in the Forest

Change by fire is biologically necessary to maintain many healthy forest ecosystems and fire-loving plant communities. Forest resource managers have learned to use fire to cause changes in plant and animal communities to recreate the way fire was used before the European migration.

Smokey Bear

Smokey Bear came to us by necessity. World War II started a wildfire fear from enemy sources. That enemy did not materialize but the wildfire issue did. It took a decade to decide on just the right poster animal to use and the perfect wildfire campaign to present to the public.

Forestry