Mixed-Severity Fire Regimes in the Northern Rocky Mountains: Consequences of Fire Exclusion and Options for the Future
Document Type
Conference Paper
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Proceedings: Wilderness science in a time of change conference
Publication Date
1999
Volume
RMRS-P-15-Vol-5
Publisher
USDA Forest Service
First Page
225
Last Page
232
Abstract
Findings from fire history studies have increasingly indicated that many forest ecosystems in the northern Rocky Mountains were shaped by mixed-severity fire regimes, characterized by fires of variable severities at intervals averaging between about 30 and 100 years. Perhaps because mixed-severity fire regimes and their resulting vegetational patterns are difficult to characterize, these regimes have received limited recognition in wilderness fire management. This paper presents examples of mixed-severity fire regimes in Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and discusses how suppression and fire management policies have affected them. It suggests possible management actions to return a semblance of the historical mixed-severity fire regimes to these and other natural areas.
Recommended Citation
Arno, S.F., Parsons, D.J., Keane, R.E., 2000. Mixed-severity fire regimes in the northern Rocky Mountains: Consequences of fire exclusion and options for the future. In: Wilderness science in a time of change conference. USDA For. Serv. RMRS-P-15-Vol-5, pp. 225-232