Beginning in 



1 944, Smokey 



Rear posters 



encouraged 



the public to 



help prevent 



forest fires. 



Photo courtesy of the 

 National Archives. 



Historical fire regimes ranged 

 from mild, ground fires 

 (above) every 1 years or so 

 in low-elevation pine stands 

 to intense, stand-replacing 

 fires (left) at longer intervals 

 in high-elevatjon, mixed 

 conifer stands. 



Fire Suppression 



Fire fighting gained momentum after huge 

 fires at the turn of the century. For example, 

 the Yacolt fire in 1902 burned nearly 

 239,000 acres in Clark and Skamania coun- 

 ties (Washington) and killed 38 people. Sev- 

 eral fires, including the Columbia fire near 

 Mount Hood, burned more than 170,000 

 acres in Oregon the same year. 



Society demanded that the forests be pro- 

 tected. Laws regulating slash and slash- 

 burning to protect forests were passed in 

 1911. Permits were required for burning 

 slash in summer, and all snags over 25 feet 

 had to be cut. A highly efficient and coordi- 



nated forest fire-fighting force was developed 

 nationwide to aggressively attack and 

 quickly control all wildfires. Fire-fighting ef- 

 ficiency increased dramatically after World 

 War 11 when airplanes became available for 

 detecting and suppressing fires. Campaigns 

 such as "Smokey Bear" encouraged all citi- 

 zens to help prevent forest fires. 



Vegetation, Past and Present 



Today's forests are different in composi- 

 tion and structure from the presettlement 

 period. Pacific Northwest forests have al- 

 ways been affected by disturbances (such as 

 fires, wind storms, volcanic eruptions, and 



Overview — 8 



