The 1988 Fires in Yellowstone: Charting Conservation in America

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1988 fires at Yellowstone, still one of the largest wildfire events in the history of the United States, the Yellowstone Park Foundation has commissioned a poster--The 1988 Fires in Yellowstone--which accompanies this article. The poster elaborates on this extraordinary fire event with background information and conservation milestones. Beginning with the forest reserves that were set aside by the U.S. Navy in 1799 to protect hardwoods for its ships, the poster charts important conservation developments throughout U.S. history--a helpful resource for the classroom. Fire: A natural phenomenon Fire is a byproduct of a chemical reaction that occurs when combustible fuel comes into contact with oxygen at high temperatures. Periodic fires always have been integral to ecosystems by replacing and rebuilding nutrients in soil that plants and trees need to survive. While bacteria and fungi help decompose dead matter, such as leaves and fallen limbs on the ground, this happens somewhat slowly--fire speeds up the process. Today, wildfires seem to occur more frequently and dominate television and internet news coverage with imposing images, evacuation stories, and firefighting strategies. From California and Georgia to Alaska and New Jersey, no state appears to be immune from these conflagrations, according to statistics compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) (2007). Unfortunately, global warming and changed weather patterns may make conditions even riper for wildland fires. In addition, developments in close proximity to these very wildlands--whether public or private--fuel the flames and gain ongoing media attention. The recent fires in California are a case in point. Rebirth after fire at Yellowstone The 1988 fires at Yellowstone National Park burned 1.4 million acres in the tri-state areas of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho--encompassing the greater Yellowstone area--and burned some 800,000 acres within the park itself (Franke 2000). The fires ignited debate about development in and around wildlands, fire policy in general, and suppression efforts of the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service. Just as importantly, the event brought the science of fire as a management tool to the front burner of national attention and scrutiny. Contrary to the popular belief publicized in government campaigns featuring Smokey Bear that most fires are caused by humans, forest fires in U.S. western lands and Canada typically are caused by lightning strikes in dry weather conditions, where there is an abundant source of combustible fuel (Franke 2000). Climate fluctuations have significantly affected the severity of these natural factors. As a result, it has become more important to understand the role of fire in wildland and forest management, particularly with the frequency of these flare-ups. Previously, managers and visitors alike typically viewed fires as destructive to Yellowstone, which was why park directives well into the 1960s emphasized firefighting as a priority over any other activity. However, in 1972, the NPS adopted a natural fire policy to accomplish management objectives, which helped perpetuate plants and animals native to a habitat through fire restoration (Barker 2005). This policy allowed a fire to burn until rain or lack of fuel extinguished it. But by 1988, Yellowstone's own fire policy could be overruled and protection applied if there were threats to visitor areas, endangerment to human life, or threats to lands managed by other agencies. Although reforestation of burn areas is in process at Yellowstone, it may take a century before trees charred by the 1988 fire are hidden by taller stands of trees. Grasslands have returned and sagebrush will be in development for another 20 or so years. Lodgepole pines are well established and, depending on the location, are 1-4 m high, though reforestation is uneven throughout the park. …

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