Thinning small trees is an especially effective fire management tool in the region's dry, low-elevation ponderosa pine forests. However, over the last century these huge, thick-barked pines were cut and fire virtually eliminated. Consequently, dense thickets of scrawny, Christmas tree sized trees replaced these giants. These landscapes are highly vulnerable to insects and disease-and fire naturally follows. This is ecological fiction.
Fire is a dramatic and essential ingredient in the West's ecosystems.
Fires, especially in the higher elevations are characterized by infrequent stand replacing events such as the 1988 Yellowstone fires that burned approximately one half the Park. Veteran firefighters know the only sure way to fight such fires is with an early snow fall. Last week's Bitterroot snow storm finally, after six weeks of fire fighting, contained the 250,000 acre Bitterroot fire. On a planet whose atmosphere is 21 percent oxygen, one lightening storm can spark over 300 ignitions, and forest fuels accumulate, its fantasy to believe fire can be completely eliminated. The key policy question is how to effectively and economically protect lives and property.