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Color Country Fire
Lighting a prescribed fire on the Arizona Strip

Our Fiery Past

We live in a land shaped by fire. Whether started by lightning or by humans, fires have burned through the forests and across open rangelands for centuries clearing dead plants and stimulating new growth.

Fire exclusion, urban sprawl, and changing uses of the land have kept fire from many areas. Where fires once burned unchecked, forests are now crowded, catastrophic fire risk high, insects and disease are rampant, plants less diverse and healthy and wildlife habitat has changed

[Image] 1959 Open ponderosa pine forest at Bryce Canyon National Park.

[Image] 1991 Trees have grown closely together, filling in openings and increasing competition. Several trees have died.

The Fire Cycle

Fire has helped shape the healthy plant communities in almost all ecosystems in southwest Utah and northwest Arizona. It recycles soil nutrients, burns up accumulations of dead wood and leaves that can cause large wildfires, thins crowded vegetation, and encourages the growth and flowering of many plants. Healthy plants, habitat for wildlife, and clean water are just some of the benefits of fire's role in the ecosystem.

Burning Questions

Why not let fires burn naturally?
Under today's conditions, we cannot allow fire to burn wherever it will because it could be destructive and deadly. Fire suppression is necessary to protect homes and recreation developments built in natural environments, as well as the people who live or recreate there. But by using fire under predetermined conditions, we can carefully balance the benefits of fire with the needs of people.

What is prescribed fire?
Just as a doctor prescribes medicine when you are sick, our wildlife biologists, foresters, ecologists, fire managers, and other specialists study an area and "prescribe" a remedy for unhealthy forest, brush, or grasslands. One tool we can use is fire. A range of factors is defined that the fire may burn within and still meet objectives of land managers. We consider weather forecasts, topography, and the type of fuel to predict the way a fire will burn once lit. If conditions (mainly weather conditions) move outside this window, burning is attempted another day.

[Image] - A fire started by lightning consumed a build up of brush,
fallen leaves, twigs, and branches under the ponderosa pine in northern
Zion National Park.

Sometimes we start fires, and sometimes we allow natural, lightning-caused fires to burn. Fires started by lightning may be used in a similar way to prescribed fire when a plan is in place and if they are of no threat to lives and property. Also, weather and fuel conditions must be right. Wherever fire is used, safety, human life, and property are the first priority in the fire program.

Fire has helped shape healthy plant communities in almost all ecosystems in southwest Utah and northwest Arizona. It recycles soil nutrients, burns up accumulations of dead wood and leaves that can cause large wildfires, thins crowded vegetation, and encourages the growth and flowering of many plants. Healthy plants, habitat for wildlife, and clean water are just some of the benefits of fire's role in the ecosystem.

Smokey Air and Smokey Bear

What about smoke?
Smoke is a natural part of a fire environment. Reintroducing fire will undoubtedly produce smoke. But fire managers carefully consider wind speed and direction and the stability of the air to design a burn so smoke will disperse. Unfortunately, these factors cannot always be predicted accurately. When smoke lingers, burning is often stopped until conditions change. Populated areas, parks, highways, and airports are given special consideration to ensure visibility and health standards are not exceeded. During a wildfire, fire fighters lack the same control. Enduring a little smoke from prescribed fire every so often is the trade-off we make for preventing larger infernos and huge amounts of smoke later.

[Image] - Smoke is a part of our environment and a consequence of restoring fire to a more natural role.

[Image] - Charcoal scars show fires have burned periodically for centuries in ponderosa pine forests in the southwest.

What about Smokey Bear?
The message of fire prevention and safety is as important to remember today as in the past. Over the past 50 years, Smokey Bear has been an important reminder to us that fire is dangerous when out of control. Human-caused fires are the most destructive and deadly fires because they usually happen where people or developments are, like subdivisions or campgrounds. They do not burn at a safe time or in a prepared place and are often hot enough to scorch soil and damage new growth. One of the main reasons for using natural fires and prescribed fire is to replace large, catastrophic fires with smaller, more frequent ones. In this way, reintroducing fire in a more natural role complements the Smokey message by preventing infernos and protecting lives and property.

Who do I contact for more Information?

Interagency Fire Information
345 East Riverside Drive,
St. George, Utah 84790
(435) 688-3345
http://azstrip.az.blm.gov/fire/fire.htm

National Park Service -- Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks
Forest Service -- Dixie National Forest
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Land Management -- Utah and Arizona
State of Utah -- Natural Resources