Prescribed fire has been used in forest management for many years.
Low intensity prescribed fire
Prescribed fire consuming ground fuels
The forests of the Inland Northwest are fire-adapted ecosystems.
Natural ignitions played an extensive role in shaping their make-up
and structure for thousands of years prior to the twentieth century.
In addition, Native Americans and settlers used fire as a technique
for hunting, fireproofing land and property, and crop management.
The United States began suppressing fires in the early 1900’s. Forest
health degraded as natural fuels began to build. Trees became crowded,
fuels built up, and shade tolerant species expanded.
The buildup of forest litter, brush and younger trees, creates ladder
fuels which enables fire to reach mature, older tree tops more easily.
When fire has easier access to tree crowns, fire control is more
difficult and dangerous and more trees are killed.
Prescribed fire is used as a tool for the re-introduction of fire
into our forests, leaving them less susceptible to devastating wildfires.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service manages fire to conserve, protect,
and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats while protecting
Service facilities, neighboring lands, and surrounding communities.
Fire restored habitat for wildlife
Carefully planned prescribed fire gives refuge managers the flexibility
to burn under favorable conditions where the intended fire effects
will benefit natural resources while keeping firefighters and the
public safe. These actions help reduce the risk of devastating wildfires
that can threaten people, communities, and fish, wildlife, and plants.
On Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge (LPO), we strive
to manage, conserve, and restore fish, wildlife, plants, and their
habitats for the benefit of present and future generations. We use
silviculture, the art and science of managing forests, to provide
wildlife habitats that are missing from the surrounding landscape.
Most of this work occurs in the dry forest habitats dominated by
ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. Commercial and non-commercial thinning
reduces competition between the remaining trees for sunlight, water,
and other nutrients. After thinning, the residual fuels, or slash,
may be stacked into piles and burned. A final step is burning the
whole unit. These steps help to safely restore fire to refuge forests
and accelerate natural forest succession.
Benefits of thinning followed by prescribed burning:
- Reduces the threat of large wildfires
- Increases protection for homes and property
- Reduces stand density, canopy closure, ladder fuels, and fuels
on the forest floor
A healthy forest following a prescribed burn
When wildfires burn in areas during the hot, dry months of the year,
they tend to have less intensity and are not so devastating to the
resource when prior thinning and prescribed burning has occurred.
In fact, they become beneficial in that they help maintain a healthy
more natural forest.
A prescribed burn naturally thins trees and recycles nutrients into the
Ecosystem benefits of thinning followed by low intensity prescribed
- Smaller, weaker trees are killed
- Lower branches from bigger trees are pruned which leaves more
room for the remaining trees to grow larger and healthier.
- Excess litter and surface fuels are removed
- Soil quality is improved
Ground and surface level fires are optimal for prescribed burns
which allow the fine fuels, litter and duff to be consumed by the
fire. The ash returns vital nutrients back into the soil such as
nitrogen, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus.
Moose feeding in old prescribed burn
Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge Fire Management also
focuses on fire suppression during the hot and dry summer months.
Fire suppression is important in keeping uncontrolled fires from
getting too large and hindering personal safety and the safety of
homes and property.
The LPO fire crew is a local, interagency resource; working together
with local firefighters and firefighters from all over the country.
The Refuge is always covered by at least one staffed fire engine
during the fire season. Being an interagency resource, the surrounding
forests managed by the U.S. Forest Service, Park Service, local fire
districts, and Department of Natural Resources can also request assistance
from the LPO fire crew.