Fire Research and Management in the Sierra Nevada National Parks
Parsons DJ and van Wagendonk JW. 1996. Fire Research and Management in the Sierra Nevada National Parks. Pages 25-48 or 35-59. In Halvorson WL and Davis GE. Science and ecosystem management in the national parks. University of Arizona Press. Tucson, AZ
This is a chapter in a book which describes the history and relevance of fire in the National Parks of the Sierra Nevada (Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon NP). Fire, both lightning-and human-caused, is important to the natural ecosystems of California's Sierra Nevada. Paleoecology has shown the close ties between fire, climate, and vegetation change in Sierra ecosystems over at least the past 10,000 years, but these relationships were disrupted by fire suppression during the past century. Recent research has led scientists to understand that long-term preservation of Sierra Nevada ecosystems in a close-to-natural state largely depends on land managers restoring fire to a semblance of its natural role. This paper reviews the history of fire research and its contributions to the development of a management program designed to restore natural fire to the national parks of the Sierra Nevada.
- Type
- Book Chapter
- Authors
- Parsons, David; van Wagendonk, Jan
- Units
- SEKI , SIEN , YOSE
- Keywords
- Ecology, FIRE, Fire (Behavior Ecology Effects), Fire Ecology, Fire History, Fire Management, Fire Suppression, Sierra Nevada