McDonald Fire, 1998

Fires change the world in many ways. They fill the air with smoke and the sky with colorful sunsets while they burn, and alter the landscape and lives of the creatures that live there for long after. We often think of the destruction caused by fire. Blackened, dead trees form a stark landscape. Wildlife homes and fogd sources are burned. Lack of vegetation cover can allow water to erode the land and choke the streams with sediment. Each fire is different because of the weather conditions, terrain, density of trees, and health of the forest where the fire occurs.

Photo by John McColgan, 2000

As destructive as fire may seem to people, natural resource managers are learning how fire is a part of a forest’s natural cycle. When fires pass through a forest frequently, they burn up the small amounts of fuel on the forest floor. These fires are usually of low intensity and stay close to the forest floor. Many trees, such as Ponderosa pine and Western larch, have thick bark and high branches which help them to survive these fires. However, when fire is suppressed for extended periods of time, trees like Douglas fir and spruce can grow in below the pines. Then when a fire occurs, the low branches of the fir or spruce can move the fire up to the tops (canopy) of the pines. This type of fire is much more intense and severe. In drought conditions, fires start easily and wind can spread them quickly. Severe fires can become impossible for fire fighters to control and may even become life threatening or damage our homes.

At the same time, life in the forest has adapted in many ways to fire. Lodgepole pines have some cones that are so resinous they require fire to open them up and allow the seeds to germinate. Beargrass, willow, and many other shrubs and forbs will sprout up from the roots or rhizomes after a modest fire. Burned vegetation provides a big bonus of nutrients for what comes after. Morel mushrooms are often the first thing to pop up in abundance after a fire. Extra sunlight hits the forest floor because of the foliage burned in the fire, allowing lush growth of plants like huckleberries to provide wildlife (and us) with delicious fruit. The huckleberries attract insects, birds come for the insects, and the cycle of life in the forest continues on.

To learn more, check out:
http://www.nifc.gov/preved/comm_guide/wildfire/fire_1.html
http://www.firewise.org/
http://www.smokeybear.com/
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/forestfires/
http://mt-govinfo.blogspot.com/ (Scroll down to Montana Fire Season Resources )

References:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo/resources-natural/wildlife/after-fire/index.htm
http://www.rmrs.nau.edu/wildlife/birdsnburns