Rethinking Our Carbon Future
Wildfire
Carbon + Climate Change, Fire, Forest Management

Fighting Fire with Fire

Wildfires & Prescribed Burning

Since pre-historic times, fire has played a role in shaping North America’s forests, removing dead and unhealthy trees, fostering new growth, and returning important nutrients to the soil. We sometimes refer to forests that have evolved with fire as "fire-dependent" forests.

As our populations grew, there were more people living in and among forests, creating what we now call the “wildland urban interface” aka WUI (pronounced: “woo-wee.”) For the better part of the last century, we actively suppressed natural fire cycles to protect Americans’ homes and communities. Today, as a direct result, natural fire cycles have essentially been eliminated, and our forests have become unnaturally dense and packed with fuel for wildfires to burn.

Over 90% of wildfires are human caused (insert #forestproud friend Smokey Bear's voice: #onlyyou), and some of them, fueled by this buildup up of dead dry and thick undergrowth, can grow to become catastrophic, threatening lives, communities, natural resources, and public infrastructure.

We know you’ve noticed it, too: in the wrong place at the wrong time, fire can spell big problems. Catastrophic wildfires have the power to turn our forests from carbon sinks into carbon sources. Wildfires generally produce really bad smoke, and, based on the latest research, that smoke will only get worse.

Unfortunately, throughout North America, there is no longer a "wildfire season" (the time of year when fires are most likely to spark and burn) but rather a “fire year.” Made worse by the changing climate, the US now battles wildfire year-round, with some regions experiencing over 300 days a year of fire risk.

 

The practice of prescribed burning is a crucial forest management tool for combating wildfires in many areas of the US. In fact, for thousands of years, Indigenous communities have used controlled burns to emulate a more natural fire cycle.

What is Prescribed Fire?

Not all fire is bad. Prescribed burning is a forest management practice that involves intentionally setting fires under controlled conditions. (Setting a small fire on purpose can also be referred to as Rx Fire, good fire, or a controlled burn.) These fires are carefully planned and executed to reduce the amount of fuel, such as dead wood, trees, and dry debris, on the forest floor, which, when left unburned, build up over time to become a major source of fuel for wildfires.

In the right place at the right time, Rx fire creates environmental benefits, such as reducing grass and brush species that fuel wildfires, improving habitats for wildlife, and returning nutrients to the soil. Prescribed burning also helps to promote new vegetation growth and create natural “fire breaks” that slow the spread of wildfires by reducing access to flammable fuel. (It’s worth noting that while prescribed fires produce some smoke, the smoke is significantly different than the wildfire smoke levels.)

Relearning Prescribed Burning

Unfortunately, only a fraction of the land in the US that could benefit from controlled burns is actually treated with Rx fire. This is due to a variety of factors, including funding constraints, liability considerations, and concerns about air quality and public safety. The consequences are clear, though: when wildfires do occur, they are more intense and difficult to control. This vicious cycle will continue unless we take action to address the root causes of the problem.

Recently, there's been a big push to: 1) incorporate traditional ecological knowledge into fire science, 2) increase the use of controlled burns as part of regular forest management activities and 3) invest in a coordinated effort to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk. Last year, the US Forest Service published a 10-year plan to confront and combat the wildfire crisis with more controlled burns and support for fire crews across the nation.

Fighting Forest Fires with Forest Fires

So, what can we do? You can support and promote the use of prescribed burning. Instead of putting out every fire, we need to better incorporate fire into our forest management toolboxes.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to forest stewardship. In North America, we are fortunate to have a truly diverse range of people and organizations committed to using these tools to protect the health of our forests. It includes families and businesses, conservation and non-profit organizations, government agencies, researchers, communities, and courageous wildland firefighters.

Today’s forest stewards – armed with the latest technology and best management practices – are committed to making choices that keep forests as forests. But we can’t do it alone. We need help spreading the word that we can reduce the impacts of wildfires through responsible, proactive forest management. Healthy forests are a natural climate solution.

Check out the video below to learn even more about the benefits of burning in a fire forest.

Image of fire burning among trees
Reconnecting People and Forests
Fire, Forest Management, People

Restoration in a Fire Forest: The Benefits of Burning

The Northwest Fire Science Consortium's new video showcases the role of prescribed fire.

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Reconnecting People and Forests
Careers, Conservation, Fire, Forest Management, People, Wildlife

Restoring Habitat And Creating Jobs Through Western Juniper

"The hill that was always known as Bald Hill was totally covered in Juniper." Discover Oregon’s effort to restore habitat for sage grouse and create jobs by harvesting Western Juniper. Collaboration efforts like this one protect Oregon's forests and create rural jobs.

For more information visit: www.WesternJuniper.org

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Reconnecting People and Forests
Biomass + Renewable Energy, Forest Management, Innovation

Technology To The Rescue

People are bad at random – we even have a tendency to find patterns where no intentional pattern exists. So, when forest managers are working to recreate the complex, seemingly random patterns found in nature, how do they do it?

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Carbon + Climate Change, Fire, Forest Management, People

FORESTS IN FOCUS | Central Oregon

Roseburg, Ore. – Restoring central Oregon’s federal forests is a big important job, requiring a  diverse group of stakeholders working together to create science-guided solutions that strive for balance, landscape scale and local economic benefits. Too many small trees crowd the landscape, putting homes and property at risk from intense wildfires. But what to do about it? This six-minute video showcases how stakeholders are working to restore central Oregon’s forests and make them more fire-resilient.

“The forests in central Oregon are adapted to fire,” said Pete Caliguiri, a fire ecologist with The Nature Conservancy. “With 450,000 acres of forest in need of restoration, it is important that we learn how to scale up our efforts. Sound science should continue to guide us.”

Forest restoration is expensive and results in a lot of by-products with varying degrees of commercial value. Finding markets for less valuable by-products from restoration projects, such as small trees and brush, would lower costs and create more local jobs.

“Ideally we’d have markets for the small trees and biomass that result from these treatments,” said Nicole Strong, assistant professor at Oregon State University’s College of Forestry.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to create markets for some of these by-products like firewood, post and poles, pellets and wood chips for heat and power,” said Ed Keith, Deschutes County Forester.

“Forest restoration creates a lot of benefits: reduced fire risk to communities, improved economics and utilization of the by-products and improved forest ecology,” Stowe added. “We’ll never get the forest back to where it was before we mucked it up. But we can get it headed in the right direction, and it will be a better forest for everyone.”

The video was produced by the Oregon Department of Forestry with generous funding provided by the USDA Forest Service.

Image of a forest covered mountain
Reconnecting People and Forests
Biomass + Renewable Energy, Carbon + Climate Change, Careers, Forest Management, Innovation, People, Products

LOOK UP | The Future Of Forests Anthem

We’ve pulled together six pioneers of the forest community to have a conversation about innovation, challenges and the future of wood.

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Reconnecting People and Forests
Fire, Forest Management, People

Restoration in a Fire Forest: The Benefits of Burning

Who are the people in yellow setting fires in Oregon's dry forests? Wildfire has historically played an important role in the health and structure of Oregon's dry forests. Prescribed fire is a valuable tool used to restore forest health, increase firefighter safety, and better protect nearby human resources in these fire-adapted landscapes. The Northwest Fire Science Consortium's new video showcases the role of prescribed fire.

Image of trees under blue sky
Reconnecting People and Forests
Careers, Conservation, Fire, Forest Management, People, Wildlife

Restoring Habitat And Creating Jobs Through Western Juniper

Discover Oregon’s effort to restore habitat for sage grouse and create jobs by harvesting Western Juniper. Collaboration efforts like this one protect Oregon's forests and create rural jobs.

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Wildfire
Carbon + Climate Change, Fire, Forest Management

Fire + Our Forests | Restoring Balance

Megafires are devastating our forests and our communities. Find out what you can do to help stop them. We all have a part to play.

For a look at what it takes to put it all on the line to protect our forests and keep our communities safe, hear from Naomi Mills, a smokejumper with the USDA Forest Service.

The “Firewise Communities” effort, Ready, Set, Go and our podcast guests from Chelan County Fire District offer some great community protocols regarding fire safety and keeping yourself safe. For more wildfire facts, check out our Wildfire | Fast Facts.

Image of four foresters looking at a hand-held device together in the woods
Reconnecting People and Forests
Biomass + Renewable Energy, Forest Management, Innovation

Technology To The Rescue

People are bad at random – we even have a tendency to find patterns where no intentional pattern exists. So, when forest managers are working to recreate the complex, seemingly random patterns found in nature, how do they do it?

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Reconnecting People and Forests
Careers, Fire, Forest Management, People

SMOKEJUMPER | Naomi Mills

For a look at what it takes to put it all on the line to protect our forests and keep our communities safe, hear from Naomi Mills, a smokejumper with the USDA Forest Service. Generally, she’s busy crossfitting,  mountain biking, running, or jumping out of airplanes to fight to wildfires.

Naomi knows fire can be both friend and foe. In the right place at the right time, fire creates environmental benefits, such as reducing grass and brush that serve as fuel for megafires, while also improving habitats for wildlife.In the wrong place at the wrong time, wildfires wreak havoc, threatening lives, communities, resources, and public infrastructure. Instead of putting out every fire, we need to better incorporate fire into forest management toolboxes to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires and megafires.

Megafires are devastating our forests and our communities. Find out what you can do to help stop them. We all have a part to play. The “Firewise Communities” effort and Ready, Set, Go offer some great community protocols regarding fire safety and keeping yourself safe. For more wildfire facts, check out our Wildfire | Fast Facts.

restoring balance for fire solutions
Wildfire
Carbon + Climate Change, Fire, Forest Management

Fire + Our Forests | Restoring Balance

Megafires are devastating our forests and our communities. Find out what you can do to help stop them. We all have a part to play.

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Carbon + Climate Change, Fast Facts, Fire, Forest Management

Fast Facts | Wildfire + Climate Change

Climate change is making weather patterns more unpredictable and causing more droughts, which means there is more flammable materials in our forests. Hotter, drier, forests means more fires AND more intense wildfires. In fact, wildfire seasons is getting longer every year, sometimes by as much as 40-60 days each year. In Florida, fire season in now all year.

We need to make smart decisions about the future of forests to keep people and property safe by adjusting to the realities of climate change, and by better incorporating the natural cycle of wildfire into our landscapes and communities.

Image of brush on fire
Reconnecting People and Forests
Carbon + Climate Change, Fire, Forest Management, People

Living with Fire

In today’s environment of frequent fires and limited public funds, solutions are forged at the collaborative table. Living with fire means learning to work together both as a collaborative and as a community.

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Fast Facts
Fast Facts, Fire, Forest Management

Fast Facts | Wildfire + Healthy Forests

Not all fire is bad.

Fire can be both friend and foe. In the right place at the right time, fire creates environmental benefits, such as reducing grass and brush that serve as fuel for megafires, while also improving habitats for wildlife.

Healthy forests provide clean water, wildlife habitat, recreation, diverse products, and more. Fire is a natural process and necessary to the health of many forests.

Image of fire burning among trees
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Fire, Forest Management, People

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Fast Facts, Fire, Forest Management

Fast Facts | Wildfire Rehabilitation

Forests can recover naturally after a wildfire but sometimes they need a little help. When a fire kills all vegetation and heats the ground, it causes changes to the soil and prevents water from being absorbed or retained, increasing erosion and mudslides. Sometimes allowing invasive species to creep in and take over.

Replanting trees after a wildfire is a key part of forest management.

Image of fallen tree on fire in the middle of the woods
Reconnecting People and Forests
Fire, Forest Management, People

07: Okanogan Conservation District | Earth. Air. Water. Fire.

We explore both the positive and negative effects of fire on our soil, air, and water.

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