The Wildfire Climate Relationship in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness:

Using Management Strategies to Return Wildfire to Wilderness Landscapes

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When you think of wilderness…….What do you imagine?

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Area of InterestArea of Interest

Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area

IDAHOThe Wilderness ACT of 1964

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The Wilderness Act of 1964

• Wilderness is to be “untrammeled” by man.– Who knew a reference to a horse could be

so important to wilderness legislation.

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BUT…….

• Fire has and is successfully suppressed across wilderness landscapes.

• Effectively, 99% of all wildfire is suppressed

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Wildfire Suppression

• Alters fire occurrence changing……– Natural plant communities– Succession– Vegetation mosaic– Accumulations of fuel– Wildlife habitat– Nutrient cycles– Energy flows– The interplay between fire, insects and disease– Ecosystem productivity, diversity and stability– Water quantity and quality

• Direct Conflict to Wilderness Legislation!

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Understanding the Variables

• Fire Extent, Frequency and SeverityInfluenced By

– Topography (elevation, aspect, slope and geology)

– Vegetation types– Climate

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Climate and Fire

• Palmer Drought Severity Indices (PDSI)

• Superposed Epoch Analysis (SEA)

• Fire Atlases/National Interagency Fire Management Integrated Database (NIFMID)

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So, What do the Pros Say?

• Fire atlas data:– 70% of the SBW has burned

• Between 1880 and 1996• 524 fires

– 75% of this total is attributed to the 6 largest fire years.

• 1889, 1910, 1919, 1929, 1934 &1988– WHY IS THIS?

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Generally……….

PDSI Values

Extreme Drought

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300 Year Perspective

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Similarly………

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Local/Global

• La Nina and El Nino Phases are important

• Variance in precip. Occurs at 40 degrees N.– So………

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Wilderness and Fire

• “Wilderness fire, in its purest form, should be “wild” fire: unfettered by the constraints of humans. We have never prescribed a “let-it-blow” policy for tornadoes and hurricanes, a “let-it-erupt” policy for volcanoes or a “let-it-grind” policy for glaciers. Why, then, did we need a “let-it-burn” policy for fires.”-Agee

– Fire is a natural disturbance that humans can sometimes manipulate.– Social stigmas, politics and economics all influence the human response to

wildfire.– Fire suppression has previously been viewed as a way to protect forest

resources for future harvest.

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Fire & The Future

• A natural disturbance• Wilderness… and its future ecological health• Scientific Knowledge and Current Conditions

– Provide land managers with tools for re-establishment of fire in wilderness ecosystems…..WFU’s and AMR

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Associated Costs & Benefits

• Standard Suppression $150-250/Acres

• Fuels Treatment $1200/acre at an estimated 90-200 million acres

• WFU’s 43$/Acre

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Conclusion

• Natural interaction exists between climate and wildfire in the SBW

• Larger scales of interest also are important to consider

• Suppression has altered wildfire frequency, extent and severity normally influenced by climate, topography and vegetation

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ReferencesAgee, J. K. (1993). Fire ecology of Pacific Northwest forests. Washington D.C.: Island Press. Agee, J. K. (1999). Wilderness fire science: A state-of -knowledge review. Paper presented at

the Wilderness science in a time of change. Arno, S. F., Parsons, D. J., & Keane, R. E. (2000). Mixed-severity fire regimes in the Northern

Rocky Mountains: Consequences of fire exclusion and options for the future (No. RMRS-P-15-VOL-5): Rocky Mountain Research Station.

Dale, L. (2006). Wildfire policy and fire use on public lands in the United States. Society and Natural Resources, 19, 275-284.

Doane, D., O'Laughlin, J., Morgan, P., & Miller, C. (2006). Barriers to wildland fire use. International Journal of Wilderness, 12(1), 36-38.

Hendee, J. C., & Dawson, C. P. (2002). Wilderness management stewardship and protection of resources and values (3 ed.). Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.

Kipfmueller, K. F., & Swetnam, T. W. (1999). Fire-climate interactions in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area. Paper presented at the Wilderness science in a time of change, Missoula, MT.

Knotek, K. (2006). Understanding social influences on wilderness fire stewardship decisions. International Journal of Wilderness, 12(1), 22-25.

Miller, C. (2006). Wilderness Fire Management in a Changing World. International Journal of Wilderness, 12(1), 18-22.

Parson, D. J. (2000). The Challenge of Restoring Natural Fire to Wilderness. Retrieved. from. Rollins, M. G., Morgan, P., & Swetnam, T. (2002). Landscape-scale controls over 20th

century fire occurence in two large Rocky Mountain (USA) wilderness areas. Landscape Ecology, 17, 539-557.

Rollins, M. G., Swetnam, T. W., & Morgan, P. (2001). Evaluating a century of fire patterns in two Rocky Mountain wilderness areas using digital fire atlases. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 31, 2107-2123.

U.S. Forest Service. (2006, August 28, 2006). Directory of fire and aviation management applications. Retrieved March 7, 2007, from http://www.fs .fed.us/fire/planning/nist/applicat.htm#NIFMID

Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964 § 1 (1964). Wilderness Institute, Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center, & Aldo

Leopold Wilderness Research Institute. (2007). Wilderness.net. Retrieved February 19, 2007, from www.wilderness.net