Restoration of Fire Adapted Forests
Dry western forests in the United States are well adapted to the natural fire regimes of the region. This may range from frequent, low-severity fire that burns through small fuels, to less common, high-intensity fires that spread through the canopy destroying broad swaths of forest. Where low to moderate intensity fires are common, species like ponderosa pine invest heavily in thick bark that keep the inner wood cool as the fire moves through the understory. They benefit from an open forest structure as regular fires remove shrubs, seedlings, and saplings that could allow flames to climb into the forest canopy. In ponderosa pine forests, catastrophic stand-replacing fires were historically uncommon but have increased in frequency not only due to climate change but historic wildfire management practices.
When early foresters and land managers, accustomed to eastern and European forests, experienced severe fires at the start of the 20th century, they saw wildfire as a clear threat to the dry western forests they managed. What followed was nearly a century of fire suppression. As a result, the woody fuels that would have been consumed in small fires built up across the landscape. Small trees that would have been thinned by regular fires are now abundant, allowing ground fires to spread into the canopy. Now even fire-resistant ponderosa pine forests are threatened by catastrophic wildfire.
Foresters and land managers are rapidly changing the way they address fire risk and fuel-loading in dry western forests. Fires that start deep in the wilderness are now permitted to burn if they don’t threaten populated areas. High stand densities that were once desirable for timber production are now seen as a liability should a fire ignite. Land managers are working to restore ponderosa pine forests by thinning the smaller trees from the understory and low canopy, mechanically treating the woody fuels that have accumulated, and using burning to dispose of woody debris and slash. This active management allows foresters to select for the strongest and most fire-resistant species and individuals while simultaneously reducing wildfire risk in productive timberlands and rural communities.
The benefits of fire smart forest management are well established, but not all landowners are able to implement these strategies because of the costs. Thinning targets the smallest trees in the forest, which are often of no or low economic value. Fuel treatments, such as broadcast or pile burning are expensive and usually require permitting and coordination with local fire authorities. Without a way to cover the hundreds of dollars an acre it costs to thin and burn, many landowners cannot implement these important restoration activities.
The Climate Trust is excited to help address wildfire risk and associated fuel loads by providing grant funding, via its Enabling Reforestation and Afforestation Success (ERAS) initiative, funded through the Forest Service’s Forest Landowner Support Program, to support fire smart forest management activities on lands that would otherwise go untreated. The Climate Trust aims to fund these activities on and around post-wildfire reforestation projects.
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