The Flagstaff Area is part of the greater Rocky Mountain mixed conifer grassland ecosystem which extends from New Mexico to Canada. For millennia, this ecosystem has been ignited by lightning and it has developed a dependence on fire.
Natural fire reduces surface debris, which helps recycle nutrients back into the soil quicker.
In the past, fire returned to this ecosystem on a regular basis about every twelve to twenty years, helping to limit the quantity of trees and reducing the competition for nutrients and water in the soil. Fire also helped limit insect and disease infestation which is natural and necessary in this ecosystems within natural variations. Wildfires also assured that only the fire-adapted species could survive in this unique ecosystem, providing natural selection to plant species we know as noxious weeds and plants. Even before European settlement, the native American tribes that lived in this area witnessed frequent wildfires. In fact, for thousands of years the native Americans used wildfires for many reasons.