Idaho ablaze Pony & Elk Complex and Trinity Ridge Fire Good/Bad/Ugly

What Causes Wildland Fires? Natural caused fires (40%) Lightning Human caused fires (60%) ATV, motor cycles, motor vehicle sparking dry forage Ammunition sparks/ exploding targets/ burnable targets Careless use of outdoor fires (campfires & fireworks)

Elk Complex Fire 2013

The Good Fire leads to new plants Removes dead and dying plants Fire controls unwanted plants 1-Fire leads to New Plants-Some plants need fire. For example Lodgepole pine trees have serotinous cones – this means that they require fire to open. Other plants such as bunch grasses need old, dead leaves to be removed before new grass can grow. 2-Fire cleans up - without fire, fuels in the form of dead trees and brush build up. Fire creates openings that allow seeds to sprout in sunlight. It recycles minerals from plant materials into the soil. It clears out undergrowth, destroys insect infestations and kills diseases. All of this clean up, can improve wildlife habitat. 3-Fire controls unwanted plants: Fire can check the growth of invasive woody plants like Junipers, which can take over grasslands.

Pony Complex

The Bad Fire destroys habitat Fire changes ecosystems Fire welcomes unwanted guests Fire leaves no trace-Intense fires can burn so hot that they destroy all plant life. It can take years for a forest or rangeland to recover because, there are no seeds to germinate or roots to grow back. Fire changes ecosystems After an intense fire, the original vegetation is no longer present, so new vegetation replaces it. New plants are reseeded by people, wind or animals; and can be very different than the plants originally in the ecosystem. Since there are no roots to hold the soil, erosion can occur rapidly. Fire welcomes unwanted guests- Some invasive plants are faster to germinate and grow back more quickly after fires. Without competition, these plants can take over before “desirable” vegetation is able to come back.

Trinity Ridge

The Ugly Now what? I’m hungry… Fire can be so intense and detrimental, that even the roots are burned leaving no forage above or below ground. This can take years for the plants to re-grow and be available and grazeable to livestock and wildlife. See 8th Street Fire Power Point Tami Stoddart- Oregon Long Draw Fire

How Fire Works Fire is the result of a chemical reaction Fuel: Any burnable materials, materials which will combine with oxygen in a chemical reaction when enough heat is present Oxygen: A gas in the air that combines with a fuel in a chemical reaction Heat: Heat starts the reaction, and then the chemical reaction provides enough heat to keep it going Gum Drop fire activity Fuel is the only element we have any control over.

Gum Drop-Fire Triangle Color Code : Fuel: Green or Purple Oxygen: White or Yellow Heat: Orange or Red

Fire impacts Economically Poor air quality Increase in season jobs Loss of wildlife and livestock Loss of land- grazing and recreational Loss of homes Rehabilitation expenses

Rehabilitation Reseeding native plants after a burn Planting shrubs in critical wildlife areas Planning for the future and implementing prevention strategies

Fires will happen- but they can be reduced! Prevention Management – focus on having a goal such as conserving habitat Wildlife & livestock grazing, timber harvest, and prescribed burns prevent fuel from building up and causing extreme fires Educate people about how to be smart on the land to avoid starting wild fires Fire breaks: green or brown strips (plantings or plowing) Fires will happen- but they can be reduced!  Fuel management on rangelands changes fire behavior by affecting the amount of fuel on the surface and in the top layer of soil. It also affects how much fuel is available (fuel loading), and ladder fuels (vertical vegetation – grasses to shrubs to trees). There are different treatments that can be used to manage fuels such as: Livestock & Wildlife Grazing, Mechanical treatments (mowing, mastication, tilling etc), manual removal, herbicides, or prescribed burning. Grazing is the most economical, and benefits not only the land but the animals (livestock & wildlife) that are able to graze. Prevent wildfires by being an informed rangeland user!

Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission www.idrange.org