An overview of fire in the Sierra Nevada
McKelvey KS, Skinner CN, Chang C, Erman DC, Husari SJ, Parsons DJ, Weatherspoon CP. 1996. An overview of fire in the Sierra Nevada. Pages 1033–1040. In Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project, final report to Congress: assessments and scientific basis for management options. Director's Office of the Centers for Water and Wildland Resources. Davis, California
Fire, ignited by lightning and Native Americans, was common in the Sierra Nevada prior to 20th century suppression efforts. Presettlement fire return intervals were generally less than 20 years throughout a broad zone extending from the foothills through the mixed conifer forests. In the 20th century, the areal extent of fire was greatly reduced. This reduction in fire activity, coupled with the selective harvest of many large pines, produced forests which today are denser, with generally smaller trees, and have higher proportions of white fir and incense cedar that were present historically. These changes have almost certainly increased the levels of both ground and ladder fuels. More fuel, coupled with efficient suppression of low and moderate intensity fires, has led to a general increase in fire severity. To mitigate this problem, the chapter recommends prescribed burning as one method of developing a defensible fuel profile zone. At the same time it addresses several problems in using prescribed fire aggressively, as shown by the example of the fire program at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Here inadequate numbers of prescribed fire personnel and air quality restrictions have lessened the use of this tool.
- Type
- Book Chapter
- Authors
- McKelvey, Kevin; Skinner, Carl; Chang, Chi-Ru; Erman, Don; Husari, Susan; Parsons, David; Weatherspoon, C
- Units
- SEKI
- Keywords
- Fire Management, Fire Suppression, Management, Prescribed Burns, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks CA