Wild Land Recreation

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that there is an increasingly comprehensive body of literature outlining the role that fire plays in the forest ecosystem. The writer discusses that several sources tie the role of fire to some of the present issues in the national parks and forests today; and illustrates how controlled or prescribed burns can be a positive tool in the practice of forest management. The writer maintains that suppression of burning leads to a variety of problems, including the eradication of certain species and the increased the risk of catastrophic fire. The writer concludes that by using controlled or prescribed burns, forest managers can reduce these negative outcomes, for the long-term health of the forests they manage by fostering conditions closer to those that occur in nature. Further, the writer notes that there are a wide range of examples of successful controlled burn programs that can be drawn on for insight and inspiration.

From the Paper:

"In a 2005 article in National Parks Magazine, S. Kirkwood outlines how regrowth after a fire begins immediately. As more sunlight and rainfall reach the ground, grass and flowers quickly sprout from the soil, which has been enriched with ash.
"Turner, Hargrove, Gardner and Romme analyze in the Journal of Vegetation Science the relationship between heterogeneity and fire size. This work is based on a study of certain scientific after effects of burning in Yellowstone. The information gleaned from this report allows forest managers to determine strategic locations for planting certain types of plant species after fires."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kilgore, B. M. (1970). Restoring Fire to the Sequoias. National Parks and Conservation Magazine. 44, 16-22. Retrieved on June 15, 2008 from http://www.nps.gov/archive/seki/fire/restore.htm
• Kilgore, B. M. (1972). Fire's Role in a Sequoia Forest. Naturalist 23 (1): 26-37, Retrieved June 13, 2008 from www.nps.gov/archive/seki/fire/firerole.htm - 31k
• No author. (2007). Prescribed Fire as a Fire Management Tool. US Fed News Service (US Forest Service Unit, Coronado NF). Press release in possession of the author.
• Ferguson, J.P. (2005) Building a Landscape-Level Prescribed Fire Program. Fire Management Today. Retrieved June 14, 2008 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-895042421.html
• Romme, W. H. and Knight, D. H. (1982). Landscape Diversity: The Concept Applied to Yellowstone Park. BioScience. 32 (8), 664-670.

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