Citation:

Beedlow, P. AND W. Fisher. Ecological Effects of Wildland Fire: Tradeoffs for Delivery of Ecosystem Services. Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America 39th Annual Meeting, Sacramento, CA, November 04 - 08, 2018.

Impact/Purpose:

Fires are a natural process that provides opportunity for habitat renewal and colonization of new populations. However, unintended wildfires can also adversely affect human health (breathing and cardiovascular sytems) and ecosystem services, including provision of water for recreation and drinking. Without preparation, unintended fires can cause unwanted changes in land use and destroy the ability of fire-prone areas like forests to store water. The results of fire can also alter water quality by reducing the ability of the land to control erosion. Preparation for fires in fire-prone areas, such as fuel reduction and prescribed burning, can eliminate some of these tradeoffs. To do so requires information related to fire prediction and improved communication and education.

Description:

Fire is a vital process for sustained ecosystem functioning, providing habitat vitality and renewal through recolonization of new populations and succession of fire-tolerant species. Twentieth Century fire management practices have shown that removal of fire from fire-adapted ecosystems leads to catastrophic unintended fires, which are detrimental to both human health and ecosystem services. Because more people are living in high fire-risk areas, there are increased hazards for life and property. Moreover, fire-prone ecosystems, forests in most cases, are major sources of our national water supply, and catastrophic wildland fires reduce canopy, ground cover and soil cohesion, which decreases water storage capacity and can lead to water quality degradation from sediment, nutrients and toxic compounds eroding into waterbodies. Eliminating wildland fires is neither possible nor desirable, but there are ways to reduce risks to water resources and delivery of ecosystem services. For example, areas vulnerable to wildfire can be targeted for management actions such as fuel reduction and prescribed burning. To better manage the effects of natural, accidental and prescribed fires will require improved information and technology for predicting fires (spatial and temporal) and for gauging risks, as well as tools for education, communication and community planning.

Record Details: