2009 Fire Ecology Institute for Educators

The goal of the Fire Ecology Institute is to increase the awareness of the role of wildfire in the ecology of our natural environments and our not so natural environments, where people have developed and moved into forested areas.

Personally, I found the class to be very intellectually stimulating on a wide range of topics that have always interested me, but I have never really studied in much detail. These topics of interest include; forest ecology, natural resource management, fire ecology, fire and fuel management, fire suppression, the mitigation of the effects of fire, public relations and education about wildfire, land use and development policy, and emergency procedures. Recently, due to natural events, many of my high school students have questions regarding forest health. The fire ecology class has better prepared me to answer these questions, and fortify my biology classes with meaningful activities that relate to forest and fire ecology.

I found Ros Wu’s presentation on Dendrochronology fascinating. It’s amazing what you can learn from a stump! I was unaware that trees record fire history that well. This is critical data because the forest managers want to know how fire affected forests before White settlement and the philosophy of fire suppression. Most of our discussions centered on what I refer to as “Montane” forest (Ponderosa, Douglas fir, White fir, Aspen) and the data shows that in the Southwest these forests may have burned on average every 7 years during the period of 1815-1907. Tree rings can be used to produce a “Drought Index”. This data shows that drought is a regular occurrence in the Southwest, therefore resource managers should plan accordingly. Also, I was particularly interested in the data on species composition changes that occur along with fire suppression. Fir wins out when fire is suppressed, Ponderosa loses.

Lou Boren’s students presented some of their experiments with fire and I particularly liked the study of how slope (topography) affects fire. I am planning on repeating that experiment with my physical science class in the fall.
WUI is one new acronym firmly implanted in my brain. It stands for the Wildland-Urban Interface zone. Natural resource managers are focusing their fuel mitigation efforts on protecting this area from wildfire. Many new homes are being built in forested areas near public land. The US Forest Service and BLM must contain fires that start on public land, but then threaten developments. Public relations and education are critical, the prevailing attitude seems to be to try to save every tree instead of establishing a defensible perimeter around their homes. Glen Sears is the perfect example of a man who saved his home from wildfire by reducing fuel loads around his home. The Valley fire was the experimental test of his efforts. As I indicated on our field trip, I am not in favor of governmental agencies spending large amounts of money on protecting subdivisions from wildfire. I believe the burden to protect these areas should be on the developer and the homeowners. Furthermore, firefighters should not be put in harms way to protect private homes that don’t have a defensible perimeter. I’d rather see public funds go to projects such as the one Craig Goodell showed us around the campground by Vallecito Resevoir.
Fuel reduction has become more problematic in Colorado because of the decline of the Timber industry in the state. The state foresters (i.e. Amanda) are working hard on providing markets for forest products. It seems to me, the main problem is that many Colorado forests are on rather inaccessible, steep terrain, which would make it very expensive to extract the trees (as compared to imported lumber).

I had no idea just how “bad” the Missionary Ridge fire was. One of the highlights of the course was Butch Knowlton’s home video of the fire on the west side of Vallecito reservoir. The fire creating tornados is truly an unbelievable spectacle. The costs of fire mitigation are high, it cost the county $43million. Erosion control is critical as John Eye and Butch explained. Several years after the fire the scarred hillsides are recovering and look green and healthy. In many places aspen is already 15-20’ tall.

Allen Farnsworth at Mesa Verde seemed to be incredibly dedicated to his job (as was Craig Goodell). It was interesting to see the land use philosophies of different agencies play out in practical applications. Obviously Allen is under exponentially more regulatory restraint working for the National Park Service, as it probably should be considering the archeological significance of the area. The high tech fire data (lighting strikes, weather, fire danger, etc.) sharing among agencies is a great example of the benefits of technology.

Finally, I have come away from the course with a renewed appreciation for firefighters. The dedication and professionalism of each firefighter we met was very impressive. Their willingness to endure physical exhaustion and put their lives on the line to manage and fight fire is simply incredible. Watching the NOVA film, “Fire Wars” was a moving experience for me. An acquaintance of mine, Rich Tyler, died in the Storm King fire. His young family suffered, but everyone understood that Rich had loved his job.