Fire Danger ~ SAVE THE WEST

DONATE
so we can advertise this website around the nation

Wilderness cannot be logged. Over the years it continues to grow and get denser like the forest pictured here. Disease, insects and the competition for water and sunlight kill many trees creating a buildup of fire fuels, which means that it will eventually completely burn down. This may happen in stages or it may happen all at once in a monster fire.

You can browse a picture gallery of wildfire at

http://www.mtmultipleuse.org/FIRE/firepics.htm

View a slide show of wildfire at

http://www.mtmultipleuse.org/FIRE/2008fireshowFair.wmv

Read a report on the consequence of wildfire at

http://www.mtmultipleuse.org/FIRE/firepollution.htm

Catastrophic or stand replacing fires do a lot more than just burn up trees. ...Animals are killed or displaced. ...Wildlife habitat is destroyed. ...Streams are poisoned. ...The air is polluted for hundreds of miles downwind. ...Tons of greenhouse gases are released. ...The soil is baked and depleted of organic materials

The Yellowstone Fires of 1988

More than 793,000 acres (36% of the park) were affected by fire.

Fires begun outside of the park burned more than half the total acreage.

Humans caused 9 fires; lightning caused 42 fires.

About 300 large mammals, primarily elk, perished.

$120 million was spent and 25,000 people participated in this firefighting effort.

This huge effort had little impact on the fires themselves.

Rain and snow finally stopped the advance of the fires in September.

MORE THAN 1,000,000 ACRES OF PARK, PRIVATE AND USFS LANDS BURNED