1. Forest Fires & Public Policy
Ben McDonough
Political Science & Economics
Arts and Sciences

2. Overview A microcosm of public policy What makes a forest fire?
How do they affect us?
How do we fight them today?
History of the fight
First public institution: US Forest Service
Evolution of understanding and the Forest Service
Future of the Service and understanding public policy

3. A Microcosm of Public Policy?
What is Public Policy? How we organize a mass effort to execute a specific mission for the will of the people
1. Determine the obstacle: Must be common among people
2. Find the tools: US Institutions
What are institutions? Bureaucracies designed for a specific mission. Ex. IRS, Federal Reserve, US Forest Service
3. Focus on the goal: Must be realistic
4. Bring it back to the people

4. Microcosm cont. The Will of the People Obstacle: Forest Fires
Institution: US Forest Service
Goal: Control Forest Fires

5. Understanding Forest Fires: Basics
Definition: An uncontrolled fire in a region of unmaintained wilderness or countryside
Unique traits: Enormous size, high speed, ability to change direction and jump obstacles
Characterizing fires:
Causes
Fuel type
Weather effects
Location

6. Causes Quasi-Natural 83% are manmade on average
Natural (3.4 million acres )
Manmade (5.4 million acres )
Ecological fuel: logs, pine needles, brush
Arson
Agricultural burns
Weather: temperature, humidity, storms, wind
Campfires
Power generation
Topography
Other disasters: Volcanoes, spontaneous combustion, rockslide sparks

7. Fuel Type Primary way to categorize forest fires, 4 types Ground
Buried roots and subterranean organic matter. Very slow burning.
Crawling
Low lying vegetation: grass, leaves, shrubs. Can move very quickly in dense conditions.
Ladder
Between small trees and low lying vegetation. Transition to full forest fire.
Canopy
Full forest fire with flames reaching suspended matter in the canopy of forests. High speed burning with full access to wind.

8. Transformation
Crawling Fire
Canopy Fire

9. Weather Effects Global weather patterns have a large effect
El Nino
Heat waves
Drought
Storms and Wind
Earlier snow melt and longer summers increase fires
Fires only spread with high wind, making storms a key factor
All elements must be in synch to bring about a fire

10. Location
August 2008
February 2008

11. The Fire Triangle All 3 must be present for ignition
Fuel
Oxygen
Fire Triangle
Heat Source
All 3 must be present for ignition
Fuel: Any flammable material in the general vicinity
Oxygen: Air supplies the oxygen necessary for flames
Heat Source: Helps perpetuate the fire and heats fuel to the necessary temperature for ignition

12. Fire Triangle and Ignition
Grassland Beginnings
Fire Front reaches tree line
Fire evaporates water and ignites small trees
Increasing temp. dries out trees
Forest ignites
Flash over and spread
Fire Triangle and Ignition

13. Societal Effects 60,000 to 80,000 fires per year in the US
83% are manmade
4.4 million acres lost due to manmade fires (2006)
5.4 million acres lost to natural fires (2006)
Large amounts of pollutants that damage both personal health and the protective atmosphere
34 deaths in 2013
Billions of dollars from Government and Private funds

14. Fighting Fires Today
Modern fire fighting is a multi-billion dollar business
Tens of thousands of firemen
Water and fire suppressants
Digging trenches and cutting trees for firebreaks
Controlled burning

15. The Great Fire of 1910 Spread across Idaho, Montana, and Washington
Early and intense drought in Summer 1910
Very hot weather with large crop failures
Thousands of fires throughout July
August 8: President Taft authorizes Army support
August 10: Heat storms move through
August 20: Huge cold front and the Blowup
August 21: Peak fire point
August 22: Cold front with rain puts out majority of fires

16. A Personal Account
“Then came the fateful 20th of August. For two days the wind blew a gale from the southwest. All along the line, from north of the Canadian boundary south to the salmon, the gale blew. Little fires picked up into big ones. Fire lines which had been held for days melted away under the fierce blast. The sky turned a ghastly yellow, and at four o’clock it was black dark ahead of the advancing flames, One observer said the air felt electric, as though the whole world was ready to go up on spontaneous combustion. The heat of the fire and the great masses of flaming gas created great whirlwinds which mowed down swaths of trees in advance of the flames, in those terrible days many fires swept thirty to fifty miles across mountain ranges and rivers.” Forest Director

17. Aftermath 3 million acres burned in 2 days (Connecticut)
87 people died, mostly firefighters and hundreds were injured
7 towns and cities were completely destroyed
Trains had to seek cover in tunnels to avoid the fires
Hundreds of firemen were injured
Smoke from the fires was recorded as far as New York and 500 miles into the Pacific

18. Origin of US Forest Service
Established in 1905
Two contradictory missions based on fires:
Maintain forests and engage fires only when necessary (non-interventionist)
Maintain forests through battling every single wildfire (absolutist)
Great 1910 Fire’s effect on ultimate goal
Absolutist fire policy and its effects on forests

19. Forest Service Policy Introduction of “10 AM Rule” in 1910’s
Allowed to run a deficit
Introduction of Smokey the Bear
Social opinion on fires grows increasingly negative
Fires aren’t allowed to run their course
Proliferation of fire fuel and build up for the “Big One”

20. Fire Policy Results
1909
1949
1989

21. Yellowstone Fires of 1988 Lack of preparation and overconfidence
Driest summer in park’s history
From July 21 – September ,000 acres were destroyed
36% of the Park was burned
$120 million was spent protecting the park
25,000 firefighters worked over the summer
Ultimately, 7 fires caused 95% of damage
3 were manmade and were attempted to be controlled from the beginning

22. What Have We Learned? Fires aren’t all bad
Serotiny: seed germination from fire exposure aka pyriscence
Clears out underbrush
Reduces competition
Kills disease within forests
Brings in new generations
Without regular natural fire, catastrophic fires occur more frequently
You can’t fully control the natural cycle
Most fires are initially controlled and then grow out of control

24. Modern Policy
Protect the natural world for future generations, but do not try to control her
Only intervene when necessary
Fight fires that have immediate potential for danger
Maintain a healthy ecosystem
Allow beneficial fires to burn

25. Big Questions for the Forest Service
Fighting too many fires?
42% of a $5.5 Billion budget is still used for fire fighting
Many firefighters still die every year fighting fires
Catastrophic fires still occur
Are you necessary?
Other institutions do the same job
$5.5 Billion is an enormous sum
The absolutist approach to fires was wrong. What makes the new approach right?

26. Knowledge is Power
“Only a miniscule portion of once vast wilderness landscapes has been preserved, and the boundaries and spatial extent of these preserved bear little relationship to the natural processes necessary for their preservation. The 1988 fires have laid bare the broad extent of our ignorance of those natural processes.” - Christensen

27. Questions?

28. Sources