"Environmentalists can no longer escape the fact that their policies of inaction have ended up denuding many forests by increasing the risk and severity of forest fires." - Prof. Robert H. Nelson
Around here the only way to start a forest fire would be to call in a napalm strike!
What is the problem about forest fires?
That people get in the way.
But that is not the forest's problem, is it?
The problem is not the naturally occurring lower temperature (IIRC 1200 degree F ground fires), but rather the extra hot (IIRC ~ 2000 degree F) stand-replacing crown fires that are occurring.
The naturally occurring fires help to keep the stem/ acre number down to a reasonable number. When I worked in Lake Tahoe CA/NV doing fuel reduction/ stand improvement work (amongst other projects like trail building), we were working with stands of about 150 tree/ acre. We would routinely (maybe one per week or two)hear trees fall in the canyon that we worked in, where there were more dead trees (beetle kill) than live. Lake Tahoe had been clearcut for the Virginia City silver mines (800 miles of underground mine tunnel supports, plus building materials and fuel). Since then, its been building up fuel to different extents, and has too many trees for the available water, resulting in stressed, beetle-susceptible trees.
Additionally, fire suppression resulted in some fir that would have been burnt out, not being burnt out, and the riparian Aspens, which are fire stimulated to root sucker, were getting crowded out, screwing up wildlife forage and habitat.
Soil becomes vitrified (turns to be glass-like to some degree) resulting in changed hydrology, and increased drainage resulting in greater drought stress.
The unnatural high intensity fires that aren't just clearing the ground fuels and some trees, might result in major erosion that can threaten Lake Tahoe's already diminshing water clarity (in the 1960's it was 100' visibility, now it is in the 60-70' range).
