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Caring for the land and serving people
United States Department of Agriculture
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Be careful what you wish for: The legacy of Smokey Bear
Author(s): Geoffrey H. Donovan; Thomas C. Brown
Date: 2007
Source: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 5(2): 73-79.
Publication Series: Scientific Journal (JRNL)
Station: Rocky Mountain Research Station
PDF: Download Publication (478.71 KB)Description
A century of wildfire suppression in the United States has led to increased fuel loading and large-scale ecological change across some of the nation's forests. Land management agencies have responded by increasing the use of prescribed fire and thinning. However, given the continued emphasis on fire suppression, current levels of funding for such fuel management practices are unlikely to maintain the status quo, let alone reverse the effects of fire exclusion. We suggest an alternative approach to wildfire management, one that places less emphasis on suppression and instead encourages managers to balance short-term wildfire damages against the long-term consequences of fire exclusion. However, any major change in wildfire management, such as the one proposed here, will shift the costs and benefits of wildfire management, inevitably raising opposition.Publication Notes
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Citation
Donovan, Geoffrey H.; Brown, Thomas C. 2007. Be careful what you wish for: The legacy of Smokey Bear. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 5(2): 73-79.Keywords
wildfire suppression, fuel loading, large-scale ecological change, wildfire management, fire exclusionRelated Search
- A balanced approach: Dr. Biswell's solution to fire issues in urban interface and wildland ecosystems
- Using prescribed fire to reduce the risk of large wildfires: A break-even analysis
- Issues in evaluating the costs and benefits of fuel treatments to reduce wildfire in the Nation's forests.
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https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/27708