Fire Ecology in Rocky Mountain Landscapes brings a century of scientific research to bear on improving the relationship between people and fire.
In recent years, some scientists have argued that current patterns of fire are significantly different from historical patterns, and that landscapes should be managed with an eye toward reestablishing past fire regimes. At the policy level, state and federal agencies have focused on fuel reduction and fire suppression as a means of controlling fire.
Geographer William L. Baker takes a different view, making the case that the available scientific data show that infrequent episodes of large fires followed by long interludes with few fires led to naturally fluctuating landscapes, and that the best approach is not to try to change or control fire but to learn to live with it. In Fire Ecology in Rocky Mountain Landscapes, Baker reviews functional traits and responses of plants and animals to fire at the landscape scale; explains how scientists reconstruct the history of fire in landscapes; elaborates on the particulars of fire under the historical range of variability in the Rockies; and considers the role of Euro-Americans in creating the landscapes and fire situations of today.
In the end, the author argues that the most effective action is to rapidly limit and redesign people-nature interfaces to withstand fire, which he believes can be done in ways that are immediately beneficial to both nature and communities.
List of Illustrations List of Tables List of Boxes Preface
Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Lightning, Fuels, Topography, Climate, and Fire Behavior Chapter 3. Fire Effects on Plants: From Individuals to Landscapes Chapter 4. Fire Effects on Animals: From Individuals to Landscapes Chapter 5. Fire Regimes and Fire History in Landscapes Chapter 6. Fire in Pinon-Juniper, Montane Aspen, Mixed-Conifer, Riparian, and Wetland Landscapes Chapter 7. Fire in Ponderosa Pine and Douglas-Fir Forests Chapter 8. Fire in Subalpine Forests Chapter 9. Fire in Shrublands and Grasslands Chapter 10.People and Fire: Land-Use Legacies across Landscapes Chapter 11.Emerging Threats and Tools for Living with Fire in Landscapes Chapter 12.Toward a Better Relationship between People and Fire
Appendix A. Common Rocky Mountain Trees and Their Functional Traits That May Increase Persistence Appendix B. Common Rocky Mountain Shrubs and Their Response to Fire Appendix C. Common Rocky Mountain Graminoids and Their Response to Fire Appendix D. Modeling Studies of Mortality in Rocky Mountain Trees Appendix E. Animal Species Mentioned in the Text Glossary References About the Author Index
"Although the book has a regional focus, the concepts and issues that it presents are widely applicable, making it an excellent resource for researchers, fire and natural resource managers, land planners and policy makers working in diverse fire-prone regions."
