Living in Fire Prone Natural Landscapes – Reducing the Risk to Rural Communities from Wildfire

As more and more people move into remote areas throughout western forests and rangelands, it
is becoming increasingly important for scientists, land managers, policy makers, and the public
to understand the natural fire dynamics of these systems. Over the last decade, wildfires have
burned on average approximately 4.2 million acres each year with lows of 2.3 million acres in
1993, 1995, and 1998 and a decadal high of 8.4 million acres in 2000 (NIFC 2004). Over recent
years, there has been a growing concern about the number of severe fires throughout the West
and their impact on human communities and local economies. Some argue that the buildup of
fuels to unnatural levels is primarily the result of decades of fire suppression while others argue
that prolonged and more frequent droughts are most responsible. Each position is correct to one
degree or another, but like so many things, it is difficult (and even dangerous in some situations)
to oversimplify a complex and ever-changing dynamic between the components and the forces of
nature. Natural fire regimes and the human impacts on these regimes can be quite complex and
highly variable from place to place (Turner et al. 2003).