Course Outline 

Ecology 

	Activity 1: Only you can stop forest fires Activity 2: A heated debate Activity 3: The Hash Rock Fire

Background Information
The summer of 2002 was one of the worst fire seasons on record. The Biscuit fire in Southern Oregon was the largest fire burning in the United States for a while in mid-August and several houses were lost in Black Butte Ranch to another fire. At least four young people were killed in Oregon as they traveled to fight wildfires. Earlier in the summer in Colorado, the Rodeo fire, started by a forest fire fighter in search of work, was the largest forest fire in history. Summer of 2003 was no better, in Oregon, the B&B fire caused the evacuation of the Camp Sherman community near Sisters for many days.

Wildfires have occurred since the earth began. The ecology of many ecosystems is dependent on fires to maintain diversity, and a number of species are dependent on fire to reproduce. Naturally, fires start in lightning storms. Native Americans recognized the value of fires on Prairies and would burn large areas to promote the growth of grasses that would attract wildlife such as bison.

However, wildfires also create a hazard for human populations in terms of both life and property and economic resources such as timber. During the 20th century, the US forest service practiced a type of fire management called fire suppression. In this practice, all forest fires, whether natural or manmade, were extinguished as rapidly as possible. The result of this has been a reduction of diversity as opportunistic plants have had their opportunities limited and a build-up of vegetation in the underbrush in forests has occurred. Because of this build-up, more recent fires have burned with more intensity since there is more fuel. High intensity fires can kill the entire local ecosystem, which can take years to begin to recover. In more normal conditions, low intensity fires generally burn out the underbrush, leaving most trees standing and create more habitats for organisms. The forest service has recognized this trend and is now turning toward a new method of management called 'prescribed natural burns' that allows natural areas to burn if conditions are favorable. Ideally, this clears out the undergrowth so that more intense fires have less fuel in unfavorable conditions.

In the following activities you will examine some of the ecological effects of forest fires, various forest service practices for managing forest fires, and you will have a chance to see how ecosystems can recover from forest fires.

Go to Activity 1 >>