July 4, 2003

Costly fires hurt wildlife, habitat

On the evening of July 4th, 2003, a fire destroyed over 100 acres of sagebrush wildlife habitat north of Lake Lowell. The fire appears to have started when illegal fireworks landed on a hillside thick with dry grasses.

Unfortunately, the fire spread quickly through one of the region's rapidly disappearing habitats: sagebrush grassland. Sagebrush grasslands at Lake Lowell provide food and cover to many wildlife species, including mule deer, rabbits, foxes, coyotes, red-tailed hawks, and American kestrels.

"It's a shame that we lost this increasingly rare habitat to human carelessness," said Elaine Johnson, Refuge Manager. "Sagebrush doesn't survive a hot fire, and once you lose the sagebrush in a fire, it's very difficult to bring it back."

It's difficult to bring back the sagebrush because it cannot compete against cheatgrass and other exotic annual grasses. Anyone who recreates outdoors in Idaho is familiar with cheatgrass. Its dry, sharp seed heads catch in your socks and scratch at your ankles in early summer. Cheatgrass was introduced accidentally to the U.S. from Eurasia in the 1800s. Since its arrival, it has spread quickly throughout the West because it outcompetes native bunchgrasses and shrubs like sagebrush on disturbed lands.

Unfortunately, cheatgrass is also spreading wildfire. Although fire is a natural part of Idaho's sagebrush ecosystem, the frequency and intensity of fires increases in rangelands invaded by cheatgrass. Cheatgrass sets seed and dries out much earlier in the year than native grasses, providing dry fuel to feed wildfires. Also, cheatgrass fires spread rapidly because, unlike the native bunchgrasses, cheatgrass forms a dense, continuous turf to carry the flames.

Cheatgrass also re-establishes itself more quickly than native plants after a fire, so once an area has burned it can turn into a solid field of cheatgrass that increases future risk of fire and reduces the value of the land to wildlife.

Help prevent wildfires
Most Americans know Smokey Bear's mantra that "only you can prevent forest fires." Unfortunately, several recent, human-caused fires in the Treasure Valley, including the Fourth of July fire at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, suggest that we need reminders to be careful with fire. According to statistics from the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, 88% of all the nation's wildland fires between 1988 and 1997 were started by people. Those human-caused fires burned nearly half of the average of 4 million acres burned each year.

Human-caused fires have a high cost. The cost of fire suppression and rehabilitation from last week's Lake Lowell fire will exceed $30,000. In 2002, total fire suppression costs for the five federal agencies that fight fires was over $1.6 billion dollars. Those direct costs do not take into account the billions of dollars in indirect costs due to damage to structures, loss of natural resources, and lost recreational opportunities. Of course no dollar figure can be applied to the lost wildlife and plant habitat.

Idahoans can help to reduce habitat loss and financial costs from human-caused fires by being careful with fire. Remember that those found responsible for starting a fire on public lands are financially responsible for paying firefighting costs.

Here are some things you can do to help prevent wildfires.

• If you are planning to recreate on public lands, check with the land management agency for current fire restrictions.
• Never use fireworks near dry grass or other flammable materials. Also, be aware that fireworks are prohibited on all State and Federal lands, including National Forests and National Wildlife Refuges.
• Be sure that your fire is out before leaving a campsite.
• Never throw a lighted cigarette out of a vehicle or walk off and leave a burning cigarette.
• Never park on dry grass or drive through tall grass.
• When burning trash, fields, or canal banks, follow the instructions on your burn permit.
• See the National Interagency Fire Center's Prevention and Education web page for other ways to prevent fires.
  

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