USDA: Prescribed Burning and Mechanical Thinning Pose Little Risk to Forest Ecology

Thursday, July 26, 2012

USDA: Prescribed Burning and Mechanical Thinning Pose Little Risk to Forest Ecology

Prescribed burn at the Tahoe National Forest. (Photo: Steve McKelvey, U.S. Forest Service

There’s hot debate over whether or not to conduct prescribed burning and mechanical thinning (the manual removal of trees) in our nation’s forests. Supporters of these fuels reduction methods, which remove highly flammable undergrowth, argue that they help lower the severity of wildfires. Meanwhile, opponents say that the treatments can hurt the environment.

New research by scientists from the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station and six universities in the U.S. and Australia has shown that prescribed burning and mechanical thinning can be conducted with few negative consequences. The scientists looked at a broad range of ecological indicators, such as animal and bird diversity and soil chemical composition, which helped to detail the effects of these treatments on vegetation, soils, wildlife, bark beetles and carbon sequestration (trees’ ability to capture carbon dioxide).

Prescribed burn at the Tahoe National Forest. (Photo: Steve McKelvey, U.S. Forest Service

They found that prescribed burning and mechanical thinning had little or no effect on a forest’s vegetation, soils, wildlife, bark beetles and carbon sequestration. In fact, these treatments increased the overall diversity of vegetation and improved tree health, making the trees more resilient to bark beetle attacks. Wildlife appeared unaffected or adapted quickly to the treated areas—some birds and small mammals that prefer shady, dense habitat moved away, while others that prefer more open environments thrived.

Some communities, particularly in the western U.S., are opposed to prescribed burning because they are concerned about cost and environmental impacts. As a result, other methods to reduce the potential of wildfires, such as tree removal, have become attractive, especially if forest managers can retain tree stand health. But, in reality, a combination of both prescribed burning and thinning is needed to reduce the severity of wildfires in many forests, according to co-author Dr. Chris Fettig, a research entomologist at the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station.

Source: USDA Blog - http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/07/26/prescribed-burning-and-mechanical-thinning-pose-little-risk-to-forest-ecology/

Posted by Sherri Eng, Public Affairs Specialist, U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, on July 26, 2012 at 12:42 PM

California Fire News 2012

- Follow @CalFireNews

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Thursday, July 26, 2012