The authors of a new commentary in Science magazine say forest managers should allow more naturally-ignited wildfires to burn. That’s already part of forest management in northern Arizona.
The article addresses the rising number of catastrophic wildfires in the western U.S. The authors say that’s partly due to a longstanding policy of fire suppression. Instead of putting fires out immediately, they advocate for greater use of managed burns.
Peter Fulé is a forestry professor at Northern Arizona University and a coauthor of the commentary. “The idea of being proactive is that by making use of policy tools, such as the use of managed wildfire or other kinds of forest restoration, we can be ahead of the damaging effects of very severe wildfires,” he says.
Those tools are already in use on the Coconino National Forest, says fire officer Donald Muise. In the last year crews have treated more than fifty thousand acres with managed and prescribed burns.
“Every lightning strike is a potential managed fire for us,” Muise says. “We don’t count on managed fires, but if we have the opportunity we’ll take advantage of that if conditions are right.”
Muise says northern Arizona forests have the advantage of experienced fire crews and public awareness of fire management. Other national forests may not have those opportunities and resources.
