Conservation Northwest

12 Fall 2017 conservationnw.org Fire Season: More than smoke and ash FIRE AND NORTHWEST FORESTS Dave Werntz Science and Conservation Director, dwerntz@conservationnw.org Although snow and rain have re- cently fallen in the high countr y, it's been dry here in the Methow Valley for more than 100 days straight. We're ac- customed to a seasonal drought in the Pacific Northwest along with its fire sea- son, but the one this summer has been particularly strong. is matters because dry vegetation is more prone to combustion. Heat speeds the drying process. is year, abundant winter and spring moisture boosted vegetation growth. With record heat and drying in the region, forests were primed for burning. British Columbia had its most ex - tensive fire season in history with more than one hundred fires burning across 2.2 million acres. In Washington, three large fires—Diamond Creek, Jolly Mountain and Norse Peak —burned over 200,000 acres. Air quality across the state was ex - tremely poor quality due to smoke, ash, and fine particulates, measuring some days to be among the worst in the nation. Persistent high pressure systems off the coast blocked our usual moderating ma - rine weather influence—those moist on- shore flows with a light wind so common in western Washington—allowing vast banks of smoke to persist over the region for weeks. It's tempting to characterize fire as destructive, and it is when homes burn, lives are endangered, and communities displaced and disrupted. But fire is es - sential to our forests. Among other eco- logical services, fire creates one of the most biologically diverse and ecologi- cally important habitat types in western conifer forests. e nexus of new open conditions and unburned remnants pro- vides habitat for a unique array of plants and animals. Black-backed woodpeck- ers, lodgepole pine, deer and elk, and many other species require periodic fire for sustenance. Forests with fire are healthy forests. at's not to say fire has no serious consequences. e Diamond Creek fire in the Pasayten Wilderness has burned through another section of core habi - tat that supports Washington's only reproductive Canada lynx population, an area already impacted by a series of fires in recent decades. Fires in British Columbia have temporarily halted our fisher reintroductions into the North Cascades, until the condition of fisher source populations can be assessed. e Sutherland Canyon fire in Washington's arid grasslands killed endangered pygmy rabbits at a breeding facility used for re - covery efforts. It's a bit daunting to think that fire seasons like what we had this year are expected to occur more frequently as the planet continues to warm. Climate scientists predict increased summer temperatures and drier conditions, which will bring more fire and bigger fire events, continuing a trend of longer fire seasons, and an increase in fire activ - ity and size happening since the 1970s. As the climate warms, some areas may not be able to sustain their current for- est cover, leading to an altered suite of flora and fauna. Still, there is a lot we can do. Along with agency, industry, and conservation partners, Conservation Northwest's Forest Field Program is working hard to advance policies and actions, so when these fires come, our forests are resilient and able to withstand the fire and vigor - ously recover. At the same time, forests restored to more resilient condition provide better habitat, and reduce risks to human communities and values. Our objective is to restore forest structure and spatial patterns, so that fires gener - ally burn with the intensity and pattern under which the forests and wildlife have evolved over millennia, and fire managers have safer working conditions. e starting point is landscape Firefighters working a prescribed burn. Photo: BLM Prescribed burning mimics nature, intentionally burning brush and restoring forest resilience. Photo: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, USFS Forests and Fire

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