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THE CHALLENGES OF FIRE RESTORATION IN WILDERNESS |
SYNOPSIS:
There remain considerable roadblocks preventing the restoration of fire as a natural process in wilderness and similarly managed lands. Federal land managers must simultaneously consider how to preserve the natural conditions of wilderness areas and also preserve "wildness", keeping lands free from human manipulations and impacts. The fire research program at the Leopold Institute is presently initiating and supporting research to help land managers better understand wildland fire issues, enabling them to develop and implement necessary fire management plans that may include the use of natural ignitions or prescribed fires. Parsons, David J., Peter B. Landres and Carol Miller. 2003. The dilemma of managing and restoring natural fire and fuels in United States wilderness. Pages 19-26 in K.E.M. Galley, R.C. Klinger, and N.G. Sugihara (eds.). Proceedings of Fire Conference 2000: The First National Congress of Fire Ecology, Prevention, and Management. Miscellaneous Publication No. 13, Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL. ABSTRACT:The management of natural fire and fuels in wilderness presents a significant dilemma to Federal land managers. Wilderness fire management requires balancing mandates to both preserve natural conditions and minimize the impacts of human activities. It also requires consideration of ecological and social values both within and outside of wilderness. In many wilderness and similarly protected areas, decades of fire exclusion have resulted in conditions of unnatural vegetation and fuel accumulation. Resulting fires are increasingly of sizes and intensities unprecedented in fire history records. Although current Federal interagency fire policy facilitates the use of natural ignitions (wildland fire use for resource benefits) to restore more natural fire regimes, concerns about damage to natural resources, smoke impacts on surrounding communities, and threats to life and property on adjacent lands result in the suppression of most natural ignitions occurring within wilderness. In addition, natural ignitions outside of wilderness that would otherwise burn into wilderness are commonly suppressed before they reach the wilderness boundary. Parsons, David J. 2000. The Challenge of Restoring Natural Fire to Wilderness. In: Cole, David N.; McCool, Stephen F.; Borrie, William T.; O'Loughlin, Jennifer, comps. 2000. Wilderness science in a time of change conference - Volume 5: Wilderness ecosystems, threats, and management; 2000 May 23 - 27; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 276-282. ABSTRACT:Despite clear legislative and policy direction to preserve natural conditions in wilderness, the maintenance of fire as a natural process has proven to be a significant challenge to federal land managers. As of 1998, only 88 of the 596 designated wilderness areas in the United States, excluding Alaska, had approved fire plans that allow some natural ignitions to burn; and even those areas with active natural fire programs continue to suppress many natural ignitions. As a result, none of the four federal wilderness management agencies have been able to restore fire to a level that even approaches pre-settlement fire regimes. Although prescribed fire has been utilized in some areas as a means to compensate for the lack of natural fire, it has been questioned as an appropriate wilderness management tool and is prohibited for most uses in Forest Service wilderness. The questions must be asked whether it is practical to expect restoration of natural fire regimes in wilderness, and if they cannot be restored, what are the options and implications for wilderness resources and values? Parsons, David J. 2000. Restoration of Natural Fire to United States Wilderness Areas. In: Watson, Alan E.; Aplet, Gregory H.; Hendee, John C., comps. 2000. Personal, societal, and ecological values of wilderness: Sixth World Wilderness Congress proceedings on research, management, and allocation, vol. II; 1998 October 24-29; Bangalore, India. Proc. RMRS-P-14. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 42-47. ABSTRACT:The restoration of fire to its natural role in wilderness has proven to be a significant challenge to the United States Federal wilderness management agencies. Although both natural (lightning) ignitions and management-ignited fires have been generally accepted as appropriate wilderness management tools, the implementation of wilderness fire management programs has been incomplete and inconsistent. Program constraints and consequent emphasis on fire suppression have limited accomplishments to date. The fact that even the most successful wilderness fire management programs have been largely unable to restore presettlement fire regimes raises serious questions about future program needs and priorities. Issues and challenges in need of attention are identified. Parsons, David J.; Landres, Peter B. 1998. Restoring Natural Fire to Wilderness: How Are We Doing? In: Pruden, Teresa L.; Brennan, Leonard A., eds. Proceedings: 20th Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference: Fire in ecosystem management: shifting the paradigm from suppression to prescription; 1996 May 7-10, Boise, ID. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press: 366-373. ABSTRACT:The restoration of natural fire to wilderness ecosystems poses a significant challenge to the federal land management agencies. The U.S. Department of the Interior (USDI), National Park Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service have conducted progressive prescribed natural fire (PNF) programs for more than two decades. The USDI, Bureau of Land Management has only recently approved the use of PNF in a few wilderness areas, whereas the USDI, Fish and Wildlife Service has relied primarily on the use of management-ignited fires to accomplish wilderness objectives. Despite recognition of the role of natural fire, suppression continues to play a dominant role in wilderness fire policy for all four wilderness management agencies. Ways must be found to substantially increase the acreage burned through prescribed fire in wilderness. Unfortunately, differences in program approaches and criteria for reporting the occurrence of prescribed natural fire and management-ignited fire in wilderness units managed by the four agencies make it extremely difficult to fully assess accomplishments of wilderness fire management programs. There is an urgent need to improve reporting as well as develop criteria and standards by which to judge the success of wilderness fire programs. |
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