Managed forests reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire

Actively managed forests are part of the solution to catastrophic wildfires.

Three elements control wildfire: weather, fuel and topography. For land managers, the only controllable element is fuel. Proven, science-based forest management tools and prescriptions like well-planned harvest, thinning, and controlled burns reduce excessive vegetation that fuel catastrophic wildfires.

In addition to fuel reduction, when fires do occur on actively managed forests, they are easier to put out before they become catastrophic megafires. Professional foresters maintain a high-quality, extensive road system that allows firefighters safe and quick access to the fire, and they maintain access to water sources like ponds to help firefighters put out fires. When fires do occur on private forestlands, the lands are quickly restored and made safer by removing dead and dying trees and replanting with new seedlings to ensure renewal of a healthy, thriving forest for future generations.

Oregon has the best wildfire fighting system in the entire world. As part of Oregon’s unique complete and coordinated firefighting system, private forest landowners and operators stand side-by-side with federal and state firefighting efforts. Oregon’s timber industry provides millions of dollars of equipment and trained personnel every year to save people and property from wildfire, at the risk of their own lives.

Not only does active forest management protect communities from harmful, toxic wildfire smoke and provide tens of thousands of green jobs across the state, it also protects the environment by helping forests adapt to changing conditions, reducing massive carbon emissions from wildfire, and creating renewable carbon-friendly building materials.

Wildfire Prevention

Wildfires are a major concern for Oregonians, and for good reason. Wildfire season itself has spread like, well, wildfire. Instead of burning from August to early October, which has been the historic precedent, we now see fires starting in May and lasting until November. This is in part due to climate change. Temperatures are higher, humidity levels are lower, and we are dealing with persistent drought—all perfect conditions for devastating wildfires.

What is Oregon Forest Forever’s view?

Oregon’s wildfire crisis is related to both climate change and forest management. The reality is we are not seeing more fires than there were historically. In fact, we are seeing the same number of fires. The difference is recent fires are far more destructive.

Recent Fires are Far More Destructive

Over the past decade, the vast majority (more than 80 percent) of wildfires in Oregon take place on federal land even though just more than half (60 percent) of the forests in Oregon are owned and managed by the federal government. Due to policy choices and pressure from environmental lawsuits, over the last 30 to 40 years the federal government has been forced to take a hands-off management approach, which, combined with suppressing fires during the height of fire season, has left federal forests with an epidemic of trees that are either dead, dying, diseased, or bug infested. Unfortunately, leaving those dead and dying trees standing provides powerful fuel for wildfires and often results in wildfires that are extremely difficult to control.

To make matters worse, firefighters cannot easily control or fight fires on federal land because the firefighting conditions are so difficult and there is limited road access. When lightning starts a fire in a forest riddled with dead and dying trees, either from lack of management or lack of restoration after a previous fire, the area is often too remote and too dangerous for firefighters to enter due to the substantial risk of a tree falling and harming firefighters.

Why are Managed Forests Essential to Wildfire Prevention?

Ask a wildfire expert how best to address wildfires and they will tell you that science-based forest management practices are key. Some of the methods used to prevent and put out these devastating wildfires include mechanized harvest, tree thinning, controlled burning, use of well-maintained and managed roads, and access to direct water sources.

Mechanical thinning refers to the use of commercial equipment such as a feller-buncher, which cuts and stacks whole trees, or a cut-to-length harvester and forwarder that cuts trees into specific lengths. This forest management tool selectively reduces forest vegetation such as small trees and groundcover that can fuel wildfires. In doing so, this method retains the large fire-resistant trees that Oregonians want to see in their forests. Controlled burning, also known as prescribed burning, involves setting planned fires. This rids the forest of debris that could otherwise feed a wildfire. After the fire, the ashes return nutrients to the soil and the additional sunlight and open space help young trees to grow. Research conducted at Oregon State University found that mechanical thinning can reduce the intensity of future wildfires for many years, and controlled burns can lengthen thinning’s effectiveness. In addition, fires that occur in managed forests are more easily put out due to the high-quality roads maintained, as our people need reliable, steady access to those forests.

In addition to fuel reduction, when fires do occur on actively managed forests, they are easier to put out before they become catastrophic megafires. Professional foresters maintain a high-quality, extensive road system that allows firefighters safe and quick access to the fire, and they maintain access to water sources like ponds to help firefighters put out fires. When fires do occur on private forestlands, the lands are quickly restored and made safer by removing dead and dying trees and replanting with new seedlings to ensure renewal of a healthy, thriving forest for future generations.