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Post-fire logging and reforestation can make things worse.
Logging following disturbances, such as wildfire, windstorm, volcanic eruption, and flood, is a multi-faceted topic that has many environmental, economic, and social consequences. The case…
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The way we pay for fighting forest fires is making the problem worse.
Over 55% of the U.S. Forest Service’s budget is consumed by fighting fires.
But unlike other natural disaster assistance and relief funds, that money is…
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The frequency of fire varies by forest type. However, human suppression has made fire much less common.
All forested ecosystems are departed from their natural fire cycles, some more than others.
Dry forests have perhaps suffered the most from a fire deficit…
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Fire and water
Clean water is the most valuable resource that comes from our forests.
Forests in the United States, covering roughly 651 million acres, supply abundant clean…
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Logging after a wildfire does not reduce future fire risk
Post-fire logging removes large woody fuels – snags – but does not reduce future fire hazard.
This type of logging typically leaves behind the fine …
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Simple rules to protect clean water post-fire
Some simple rules can help reduce harm to water quality and fish and wildlife in our response to wildfires. This includes staying away from streamside…
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According to fire science research, individual efforts do make a difference even in the face of a wildfire.
A small community nestled in a fragrant forest is the perfect place to call home for many of us.
Communities located in the “wildland-urban interface”…
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Forest fires were larger and more intense 100 years ago than they are today.
Yet the number acres burned and homes destroyed by forest fires have increased over the last 30 years.
How can both of these things be…
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Does fire destroy a forest? Take a closer look at the benefits of forest fires.
Most fires burn in a “mosaic” pattern of varying fire intensity, leaving many areas not burned at all.
During a fire, media naturally seeks out…
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Fires and wildlife: a complex, interdependent relationship.
Fire ecologists, wildlife biologists, and forest scientists tell us that fire helps restore forests and provides for biological richness favored by wildlife like Roosevelt elk…
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Forests are resilient.
We must do all we can to keep our communities and homes safe from fires.
But a little-known fact is that our forests have developed…
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The cause of forest fires: it’s more than they are telling you.
While fuel is a key ingredient for any blaze, many large fires are primarily fueled by drought and wind, not trees or brush.
Climate change…
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There are few economic benefits to post-fire logging.
An argument made by proponents of logging after wildfire (also called “post-fire logging”) is that it captures the economic value of the fire-affected trees.
Unfortunately, …
When it comes to forest fires, we need to keep people and communities safe AND keep our forests healthy. Fortunately, there are sound, balanced and science-based solutions that can do both, including better management, better funding, continuing forest protection rules, and avoiding forest practices like clear-cutting, that make the problems worse.
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There is a time and a place for careful logging.
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Create defensible space around homes and property.
Research and experience tell us that clearing brush, trees, and other flammable materials away from our homes, and taking other precautions such as installing metal…
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Focus fuel reduction treatments near communities.
We don’t know where the next fire will ignite. But we do know where our forested communities are.
The best way to protect lives and…
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Reintroduce prescribed fire into resilient landscapes.
In fire-adapted forests, trees need fire to successfully reproduce and renew the forest, which creates important wildlife habitat that is part of a properly functioning…
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Restore fire-prone landscapes to be more resilient to wildfire and other disturbances.
To protect our homes, we can create firewise communities.
We can also recreate large forested landscapes that are resilient to wildfire and other disturbances by…
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Fully fund land management agencies to create fire-adapted ecosystems and implement solutions to solve the fire funding problem.
Federal land management agencies like the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have been tasked by Congress to protect and restore our federal public…
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Preserve laws that protect forests and the public’s right to have a say in decisions affecting public lands.
Our public lands are managed according to the direction provided by Congress in the form of public lands laws.
These laws require land management agencies…
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Invest in collaborative conservation initiatives.
Because the public values our public forests for a number of reasons, people feel passionately about their management – and this can lead to controversy…
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We must use science-based solutions to keep our communities safe and our forests healthy from forest fires #ForestFireFacts
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