Background
Prairie
and forest fires are a natural occurrence and are essential to the
maintenance
of the ecosystem. Most prairie and forest ecosystems in the Northern
Great Plains would not exist without fire.
Though these areas
are among the most diverse ecosystems in North America, the extent of
their diversity is not always visible to the casual observer. Threatened
and endangered insects, including numerous moth and butterfly species,
inhabit these area and depend on the ecosystem's ecological makeup for
survival. Prairies are frequently found in association with wetlands.
The wetlands could include sensitive or endangered bogs or fens for which
fire is important.
Management-ignited
prescribed fires prevent unnatural vegetation from competing with rare
plants and prevent the area from changing into a dense forest. Fire also
encourages microbial activity, the activity of microscopic organisms that
are responsible for the decay of dead materials. This activity increases
the level of soil nutrients that plants require for growth. In addition,
fire stimulates the germination of many prairie plant seeds.
Often, instead of
seeing a prairie, some people see fields that have little value. The more
we know about prairies and the value of ecosystems, the more we will be
able to help future generations to: 1) know how to identify and protect
these fragile areas and 2) understand that fire is one technique used
by natural resource managers to protect and foster prairie growth.
Whether
natural or human-caused, fires are an important force in the Black Hills
forested areas. Prior to settlement of the area, fires started by lightning
or by Indians to drive game, burned under natural conditions. Many sections
of the forest burned quite regularly, every 12 to 16 years in the lower
Black Hills, and every 20 to 40 years in the higher elevations. Thus only
thin layers of combustible material could accumulate on the ground. Most
of the fires burned "cool", consuming only the ground layer,
although some jumped into tree crowns and trunks killing the cambium (growing
layer) under the outside bark. Ground fires frequently eliminated mats
of pine seedlings under large overstory trees and prevented excessively
thick stands of unhealthy trees from developing. Much of the forest was
kept open and park-like. Humans have inadvertently created in many areas
conditions favoring devastating crown fires as well as overpopulation
of trees.
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