Fire Ecology & Benefits
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Giant Sequoia Grove (Getty Images)
For example in California, Chaparral plants such as Manzanita require intense heat for seed germination which in turns prompts the plant to sprout.
History of Suppression
In 1978, USFS instituted new fire management policies to minimize rising fire-suppression costs by defining appropriate suppression response (ASR): contain, confine, and control. ASR implies that suppression may not always be the most cost effective fire response in the event of an escaped fire.
Federal agencies include:
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The swipe map below shows what land is federally managed (left) and state managed (right) using the National Land Cover layer .
CALFIRE's emergency fire suppression costs have also continually risen from around $12 million in 1980 to $890 million during the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
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Firefighters battle the Saddleridge Fire in Southern California on October 11, 2019 (source Associated Press)
Unfortunately, climate change is a double edged sword - wildfire is exacerbated by climate change which in turn makes climate change worse. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The more destructive the fire, the more carbon is released into the atmosphere as trees are burned. So much so, that from 2001–2014, California’s lands emitted more carbon than they absorbed.
Smoke from raging fires spreads across the West and throughout the country creating some of the worst air quality conditions in the world affecting major populations not directly affected by the flames. Poor air quality is a major environmental risk to health estimated to cause 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2016.
Everyone can support land conservation agencies and encourage elected officials to address land management problems. Aim to reduce your personal carbon footprint or get directly involved with the Bureau of Land Management to help give back to our land by becoming a resource advisory council member, volunteer, or intern. In California, volunteer to help with evacuations, fire lookouts, or disaster shelters.