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Forests Born of Fire

Fire is a powerful force - out of place, out of proportion, or out of control, fire poses a serious threat to human life and property, and to our natural resources. But many of the forests in the United States are indeed born of fire. Forests are natural systems of living things, fire is a natural force, and the two have grown up together over the last 12,000 years. Many fires in the Western U.S. are started by lightning. In some parts of the West, lightning is as much a part of the natural scene as forests are.

Through centuries of frequent fire influence, certain plant species and forest communities became adapted to cope with - and even benefit from - wildfire. Many plants now inhabit areas where fire does not mean destruction - it means survival.Photo of a firefighter igniting a fire with a hand held torch.

Fire causes some important changes in forest systems. It creates openings in the forest, and convert mineral-storing parts of plants (the stems, leaves, bark, and duff) to ash. In ash form, most of these essential mineral nutrients are dissolved by rain and snow and returned to the soil - recycled for use. Plants in forests born of fire take full advantage of these changes.


Flowering plants successfully establish themselves on burned areas, flourishing in full sunlight and thriving in the lack of competition from other vegetation. Many seeds will not sprout when they fall in a shaded or crowed area. Wildlife often "pioneer" a recent burn; many birds and small mammals depend on the seeds they find there after a fire.

Photo of a pine cone on fire.The seeds of Ceanothus,an important food plant for deer and elk, can remain stored in the forest duff for decades. These seeds are free to germinate when fire conditions the seed coat and changes the duff to ash. Many pine trees have cones that open when mature. On some pines, however, the majority of cones remain closed. They open and release seeds only when they're heated - they're fire-dependent. Even seeds that have been held in cones for 50 years can survive short exposure to high temperatures that's generated by low-intensity ground fires. Ponderosa pine and Western larch trees have a thick bark that insulates their inner tissues form heat. These trees often survive many fires, and the changes that fire brings to the forest provide the right conditions for seed germination.

Photo of a low intensity fire.People, too, are very much a part of the forest system. Demands for forest resources are constantly increasing, and the national forests are managed to meet those demands. Fire is just one part of forest management, and how a fire is managed depends on where it is and what kind of fire it is and what resources are at risk. Wilderness areas, for example, are managed to perpetuate natural conditions. In some such areas, ecosystem management may dictate that fire resumes its centuries-long role.

While fire has many beneficial effects when it's carefully and professionally managed, it can also wreak havoc on forest systems not adapted to fire. Our applications of fire, both naturally ignited and prescribed, will consider the effects of smoke on air quality, the lives and resources at risk, and the benefits to the lands we care for.