Keeping the Northwest wild Winter/Spring 2016 9
Prescribed fire and wildfire
This forest on the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area burned during the 2015 Okanogan fire. The 2015
fire had little impact on fire-treated areas, but it burned hotter and killed more trees (left side
of photo) where the timber thinning had not been followed with a prescribed burn. The right
side of the photo was thinned and treated with a prescribed burn in the spring of 2014.
Photo: WDFW
quality and prevent excessive smoke from driing
into populated areas.
But as legislators and stakeholders discuss how
to best be ready for the hotter summers and drier
forests that are projected in coming years, it's be
-
coming clear that acceptance of prescribed burn-
ing is growing and fire is increasingly being seen
as a tool to keep forests healthy and communities
safe. Several state lawmakers have spearheaded
bills in 2016 that would require more prescribed
burning on state lands and change restrictions on
smoke regulations so that more prescribed burns
could be conducted.
Looking ahead, it's clear that we need to learn
to live with fire. As climate change affects weather
patterns and raise average summer temperatures,
the question to ask is not how do we get rid of
wildfires, but instead: how do we want our fire?
Increasing community preparedness in tandem
with managing our landscapes with prescribed
burning and selective thinning are keys to main
-
taining resilient forests, safer communities, and
quality wildlife habitat in the Pacific Northwest.
Regular small fires, a natural process imitated by applying prescribed fire, can increase the
health of dry forests and grasslands. In contrast, the impacts of abnormally large fires like
those of recent years, shown here, are long lasting for wildlands and wildlife.
Photo: Justin Haug / WDFW
