What? No? Honest? Yet another study was required to find out what the ancients knew ages ago...
by Michael Smith (Veshengro), RFA, EcoFor
About half of the overstory trees were killed in the B&B Complex fire in 2003 near Canyon Creek in the central Oregon Cascade Range, yet a high level of tree survival and vegetation rapidly recovered. This type of burning and re-growth is typical of fires in the Pacific Northwest. And, and that we must not forget, has always also been a tool of proper forest management, and not just in the Pacific Northwest. It is about time that we, so-called modern man, took a serious look at the handbook of the ancient ones.
One of those days scientists will be capable of inventing the wheel. What you mean it has been invented already? That will hardly matter to them as long as they can conduct a multimillion study to conclude that the wheel is a good idea and works.
Let's face it, it too the British government a five million GBP study to “discover” that waste wood can be burned. No? Honest? Wood burns? Who would have thought?
Then a ten million GBP study to – fasten seat belt – “discover” ( that d-word again) that inland waterways and canals can be used for the transportation of freight. Good G-d! What do they think they were invented for? It was not pleasure boating, that's for sure.
Research has suggested that global warming will change wildfire patterns and cause a leap in the number of forest fires in the Pacific Northwest, though that is also rather hotly debated. But there might just be a silver lining in those billowing clouds of smoke.
In a recent interview with ScienceDaily.com, John Bailey, an associate professor in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management at Oregon State University, discussed the beneficial role that fire plays in managing and enriching forest ecosystems.
Forest fires are key to long-term forest management, Bailey said: Forests historically had more fire across much of Oregon, and they would love to have more today. Burning is a natural ecosystem process and generally helps restore forest ecosystems. It is ironic that we spend so much money to stop fire, because we should learn to see fire as more of a partner and not always an enemy.
Forest fires are an efficient, natural way for a forest to rid itself of dead or dying plant matter. And the decomposed organic matter enriches the soil with minerals that help new plants sprout up quickly.
Bailey said further that even the worst case scenario of climate change-related fires may not be as bad for forests as one might assume, since forests have historically seen more fires than they experience today. And the huge cost of trying to prevent fires is unnecessary in many cases, Bailey added.
Right now we are spending billions of dollars to prevent something that is going to happen sooner or later, whether we try to stop it or not, and something that can assist us in sound land management. It may always make sense to put out some fires when they threaten communities, or in other select circumstances. But periodic fire has always been a part of our forests, and we need to accept it as such, sort of like how we plan for and accept a very wet winter that comes along now and then, he said.
They all seem to treat it as something just discovered but the American Indians knew that centuries ago and managed both forests and range with controlled burning and even the US Forest Service did controlled burning well into the third part of the last century. Until, that is, misguided and misinformed environmentalists ordered them to stop the practice as it was, so they claimed, “bad for the wildlife”.
Much in the same way as it was bad for the wildlife to remove the forest debris such as crowns left over from logging and such like. Both with create a forest fire ladder and also a hazard as far as forest diseases are concerned.
I have worked in forestry and related since childhood, and even was involved in it during my military career, if one might wish to call it thus, and when I was a youngster a “clean forest policy” was in operation and we had more wildlife and healthier trees then then now. Maybe that should tell us something.
The British Forestry Commission seems to have woken up to the fact that every professional forester has known for ages; the danger from wood being left to decay on the forest floor, and are now talking of banning the practice of, for instance, habitat piles. About time too. But all seems to get discovered only after lengthy and expensive scientific studies while they could have asked the old guys for much less.
Oh well! Jobs for the boys, yet again, methinks.
© 2010
