The Spring Mountains ECHO

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

By Bob Maichle

To think like a mountain we first should recognize the part that the human race plays, and should play, in this grand scheme of nature. Humankind is the only sentient piece of this interconnected web of life and environment. We alone have a responsibility to the land. Understanding the role of fire on the mountain is an important step in thinking like a mountain.

Aldo Leopold once noted that the first rule to intelligent tinkering was to keep all of the pieces. Those readers of previous Think Like a Mountain articles know that this author has cited this rule in making the case for preserving and promoting biodiversity. Those that seek to think like a mountain know that biodiversity is necessary for healthy land. When biodiversity is maintained or restored, the resulting trend will be toward that balance of the varied components of nature. Just as healthy land depends on maintaining these varied components, understanding Aldo's first rule is essential to developing ecological perception.

Aldo Leopold wrote that only the mountain had been around long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf. The implication is that we can seek to understand the mountain through observation and contemplation. We can approach ecological understanding with observation, hands-on experience and objective thinking. We can learn but there is always more to learn. Biodiversity is much more than a list of flora and fauna. Healthy land derives from more than restoring all of those flora and fauna components. A meteorologist would note that seasonal variance and the multitude of climatic conditions are essential for healthy land. A botanist would express the need for a variety of seral stages. Fire in many habitats is an essential tool for variety in seral stages. Fire on the mountain is an essential component of healthy ponderosa, pinyon-juniper, and bristlecone forests. Fire is not a normal component of blackbrush and often leads to invasive plants like cheatgrass.

During this past century we have seen the United States Forest Service vigorously oppose forest fires. They promoted excessive grazing to remove underbrush, a component of natural fire. They encouraged the Civilian Conservation Corps toward actions which would preclude natural fire. The Forest Service promoted and managed for the removal of those factors which were needed, often essential components for all fires. While the actions of modern man reduced the chances for those natural fires which were essential for varied seral states and healthy land, the careless and irresponsible actions of modern man caused many fires which occur at places and times when fire was not a normal occurrence. Extraordinary sized fires in drought stricken forests, an atypical occurrence, have become all too common.

A lightning caused fire usually comes with rain. Wet forests burn slower and typically over smaller areas. Fire through undergrowth burns quickly and cooler and is essential for some varieties of trees to propagate. What develops is a mosaic of seral stages and niches for wildlife and real biodiversity. Those seeking ecological perception will realize that all fires aren't the same. Humankind has an obligation to protect our lands from carelessly caused fires, especially those fires in areas where fire was atypical or seasons where fire was atypical. Humankind also has an obligation to allow or restore those fires which are a natural component of the land. Those that strive to think like a mountain will recognize some fires promote biodiversity and some fires reduce biodiversity. Those that wish to think like a mountain will seek to understand the essential role of fire on the mountain.