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Fire
Ecology
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| Mexican Wolf. Photo credit: USFWS |
Fire ecology is the study
of the ecological and historical role of fire and fire effects on the environment,
ecosystems, plants, and animals. Fire is a fundamental process in many ecosystems
throughout the world, influencing community structure, function, and composition.
Many species of plants have evolved adaptations to episodic fire, and many
depend on fire for their reproduction or fitness. The suppression of natural
fire regimes has resulted in considerable changes to fire adapted ecosystems.
In many places ecosystems are now threatened by anomalous catastrophic fires
due to fire suppression and the resulting severe buildup of fuels. The alteration
of natural fire regimes has been acknowledged by the scientific community
as a global threat to biological diversity. A better understanding of fire
ecology can guide management decisions that help facilitate the restoration
and conservation of fire adapted ecosystems.
Monitoring:
The goals for Region 2 Fire Monitoring
program are:
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| Native plants. Photo credit: USFWS |
To implement a useful and consistent
fire and fuels monitoring program.
- To use the best scientific
methods and technology to monitor and evalute the effectiveness of management
treatments in accomplishing stated objectives.
- To use monitoring in the Adaptive
Management process to improve management practices and technologies.
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Last updated:
May 1, 2012
